


Little Girl Blue

by Spiderlass



Series: Tales From Duckburg! [3]
Category: Darkwing Duck (Cartoon 2018), DuckTales (Cartoon 2017)
Genre: ADHD Character, Autistic Character, Established Relationship, M/M, Trans Male Character, Yep!, adhd Gosalyn, also uh should go without saying but please don't try any of Drake's motorcycle stunts at home, autistic Drake, autistic/adhd Launchpad, did I write it anyway?, is this possibly the ten thousandth "how gosalyn met her dads" fic out there, referenced ableism, trans male drake, you betcha!
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-09-22
Updated: 2019-09-26
Packaged: 2020-10-26 03:39:53
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 22,874
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20735627
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Spiderlass/pseuds/Spiderlass
Summary: Babysitting the granddaughter of some dead professor was definitely not what Drake had in mind for his first real S.H.U.S.H mission.





	1. And I Swear She's Gonna Be the Death of Me

_ “Daring duck of mystery, champion of right! Swoops out of the shadows, Darkwing owns the night!” _

Drake grunted as he woke up, blinking in confusion before realizing that the Darkwing Duck theme was coming from his phone on the nightstand. He sighed, extracting himself from Launchpad’s arms and sitting up to grab it just as the song reached the chorus.

“H’lo?”

_ “Ah, Darkwing, good morning!” _

Drake blinked, suddenly  _ very  _ awake.

“D-Director Hooter! Er, uh, good morning, sir! What, what can I do for you?” He tried not to deflate too much. “Don’t tell me there’s a cat stuck in a tree  _ this  _ early in the morning.”

_ “No, but Mr. Pawsington wanted me to thank you personally for helping him get down from there. No, actually, I have a more...  _ important  _ assignment for you. A real mission, if you will.” _

Drake blinked again, then inhaled sharply, a grin spreading across his beak.

_ “Really?!  _ You’re- you’re sure?”

_ “Oh, I can’t think of anyone else better suited to this particular assignment. Could you meet me at S.H.U.S.H headquarters in St. Canard in say, two hours?” _

“I-I’ll be there in one! Thank you so much, sir! I promise, you won’t regret it!”

_ “I’m sure I won’t. See you soon, Darkwing.” _

Drake bid him farewell, then let out a cheer once he’d hung up the phone, somehow not waking the still-snoring Launchpad. He all but jumped out of bed, dashing around his room to find the pieces of his costume that had gotten thrown around during, er... the previous night’s activities. He managed to find most of it, but one single piece eluded him.

“Come on, where is it, where is it...”

He heard a yawn from the bed.

“Mm... huh? Uh, Drake? Is there a reason you’re in full DW gear this early in the morning?”

Drake grinned at him as he stood up, placing a hand on his chest.

“Yes indeed! It just so happens that  _ I  _ have an assignment!”

Launchpad blinked.

“Oh. Did Mr. Pawsington get stuck up a tree again?”

“Wh- no! A  _ real  _ assignment, LP! Straight from J. Gander Hooter himself!”

Launchpad blinked again, then immediately brightened.

“That’s  _ great,  _ DW! What is it?”

“I don’t know!”

“You- wait, you don’t know?”

“Well, he- he didn’t actually tell me what the assignment was  _ per se, _ but- but I’ll bet it’s something so important, he can’t talk about it over the phone!” Drake let out a small squeal of excitement, bouncing up and down before turning back to the pile of luggage he’d been searching in, distantly grateful once more that the kids’ magically-inclined goth friend had been able to get necessities like clothes and medication out of his parents’ house for him. “This is  _ it,  _ Launchpad! Finally, no more purse snatchings or bike thefts or- or cats stuck in trees for me! I’m finally hitting the big time as a superhero! People will once again know the name  _ Darkwing Duck!” _

“Heck yeah they will!” Launchpad cheered. Drake grinned up at him, then turned back to his search.

“Just as soon as I find my- ah- _ ha!  _ There you are!” He said triumphantly as he pulled out his new and improved gas gun. “Wouldn’t want to show up at HQ without this puppy, eh?”

“Yeah, especially since they’re the ones that gave it to ya.”

“Ah-heh, yeah...” Drake cleared his throat as he put the gun back in its holster, puffing out his chest as he posed heroically. “So? How do I look?”

“Pretty dashing, although... don’t you think you’re forgetting something?”

Drake paused, pursing his bill as he thought it over.

“Uh... oh!” He grinned, running over to his boyfriend and planting a quick kiss on him. “I’ll call you as soon as I can, okay? Bye!”

“No, babe, I meant your mask!” Launchpad called just as Drake stepped outside of the door to his guest room. Drake froze, turning around and grinning sheepishly as he rubbed the back of his neck.

“Ah-heh, right...” He cleared his throat as he walked back over to the bed, taking his mask when Launchpad held it out to him. “Course, I don’t really need it here, since  _ someone  _ blabbed about my identity to his entire family.”

“Dewey  _ said  _ he was sorry.”

“Yeah, yeah...” Drake paused once he was finished tying on his mask, smiling as he took in the sight of Launchpad with his hair a mess and his feathers ruffled from sleep.

_ I love you,  _ he thought but didn’t say aloud, because even if it was the truth, it was still too soon to say it, it had only been a month since they started dating and he was already  _ so  _ lucky that Launchpad liked him back despite him being barely more than a couch-surfer recovering from alcohol dependency-!

“Uh, Drake? You okay there, bud?”

Drake blinked, blushing a bit when he realized he’d been staring silently at his boyfriend for a little too long.

“Uh, yeah, fine, just...” He leaned in, kissing Launchpad a little deeper this time. Launchpad hummed, moving to cup his cheek and smiling when Drake pulled away. “I’ll- I’ll call as soon as I can, okay?”

“I’ll be waiting. Go get ‘em, tiger.”

Drake grinned, then cleared his throat as he pulled away.

“That’s  _ Darkwing Duck  _ to you, fair citizen!”

Launchpad laughed as Drake ran out of the room, the sound making his heart skip a beat.

“Well, now, you’re awfully chipper this mornin’, Mr. Mallard!” McDuck commented as Drake slid down the bannister. “Where are you off to?”

“St. Canard! I’ve got an assignment!”

“Oh, is Mr. Pawsington-?”

“A  _ real  _ assignment, Mr. McDuck!”

“Ah, I see! Well, now, what is it that Dewey says, eh... break an arm?”

“Break a  _ leg,  _ Mr. McDuck, but thank you for the sentiment!” He called as he ran into the kitchen. “Morning, Mrs. Beakley, no time to chat  _ ack!” _

“You’re not trying to slip out of the house without eating breakfast again, are you, Mr. Mallard?” Mrs. Beakley asked as she held him by the top of his cape. Drake gulped, turning around and grinning sheepishly.

“Ah-heh, would- would you believe I was going to grab something on the way to St. Canard?”

Mrs. Beakley gave him a look, then turned back to the counter and grabbing a croissant, which she then held out to him.

“Here. At least eat this.”

“Mrs. Beakley, I really don’t have time for-!”

“You can make time to eat something for breakfast. Besides, if you don’t eat, then I know you’ll attempt to take your medication on an empty stomach.”

“Urk!” Drake chuckled sheepishly, then sighed, taking the pastry and eating it at a normal pace rather than scarfing it down, as he knew Mrs. Beakley would call him on  _ that  _ too.

He didn’t really hold it against her- she cared about him in her own way, after all.

“Here you are,” she said as she held out a glass of water for him to take once he was done eating. He thanked her, then opened up the pocket where he’d been keeping his dosages for the day- he wouldn’t admit it, but he probably  _ would  _ have tried to take his meds on an empty stomach later, which would have led to a stomach ache and mild nausea at best.

_ Bupropion, naltrexone, Andriol,  _ he recited internally as he took each pill, taking a big swig of water and swallowing them all down. 

“There. Can I go now?” He asked as he put the glass back down on the counter. Mrs. Beakley smiled at him, turning back to the meal she’d been preparing.

“Tell Julius hello for me, would you?”

“Er... who’s that again?”

“Director Hooter.”

“Right, right... y’know, it’s still weird to me that you’re on a first-name basis with my boss.”

“It’s more like  _ he’s  _ on a first name basis with  _ me,  _ actually.” Her eyes twinkled with amusement. “I’m the one who trained him, after all.”

Drake blinked, eyebrows rising nearly to his hairline.

“Wh- wait,  _ you-?!” _

“Mr. Mallard, don’t you need to be going?”

“I-!” Drake grit his teeth, then sighed, shaking his head. “Alright, fine. But! I expect a full explanation when I get back!”

Mrs. Beakley hummed as she picked up a tray loaded with various breakfast foods. 

“We’ll see.”

“The mysterious thing is getting  _ very  _ old, you know!” He called as he dashed out of the kitchen, sprinting across the lawn and over to the garage. “Alright, now where did I put my  _ whoa!” _

Drake flapped his arms as he tried to keep his balance, letting out a sigh when he put his foot back down. He glanced down at what he’d nearly tripped over, rolling his eyes when he realized that it was one of Launchpad’s pilot jackets. 

“Ugh, I  _ told  _ Launchpad to clean this place up!” He muttered, scooting the jacket out of the way with his foot. “Though I guess it’s possible that he hasn’t been back here since I told him that... he  _ does  _ spend a lot more time in my bed than his own nowadays...”

Drake grinned to himself, then shook his head and cleared his throat.

“No time for that! Gotta focus!”

With that, he ran over to the small covered vehicle next to the limo, throwing off the tarp with a flourish and a grin.

“Hel- _ lo,  _ beautiful,” he murmured, running his hand over the motorcycle’s sleek purple finish. Launchpad had been so excited when he had revealed his secret project to him two weeks ago- he’d even made Drake wear a blindfold all the way from his room just to keep him from guessing. 

Of course, Drake had been pretty ecstatic himself when he realized that his boyfriend had made him his very own Ratcatcher, to the point that... well, it was lucky that Launchpad chose to reveal it on a day when everyone else except Duckworth was out of the house, and even Duckworth was always courteous enough to make the lights flicker a few times before entering a room.

Still, he couldn’t wait to see the project that Launchpad was working on in the hangar.

The one he  _ definitely  _ didn’t know anything about.

(Thanks, Dewey).

Drake cleared his throat and shook his head, bouncing to try and get rid of his excitement before spying his helmet in the sidecar.

“Ah-hah! There you are! Not gonna be acting out the events of ‘Dead Duck’ today, nosirree bob!” He strapped on his helmet, then got his keys out of one of his pockets as he got onto the Ratcatcher. The engine roared to life when he turned the key in the ignition, and he grinned, leaning down and revving the engine.

_ “Let’s. Get. Dangerous!” _

He then realized he should have waited to say that until  _ after  _ the garage door finished slowly opening. Once it was finally open, he peeled out of there, speeding down the hill and bursting out of the gates just as they opened far enough to let him through.

“Wooooo- _ hoo!”  _ He shouted as he raced towards the city, slowing down to just under the speed limit when he saw the sign declaring he was entering Duckburg. He weaved through traffic expertly, resisting the urge to taunt Gizmoduck when he saw the big goody-two-shoes lecturing some kids next to a broken window.

_ This  _ was one of the things he loved most about being Darkwing Duck for real. Yeah, he did love helping people, and the validation he got from doing good deeds (which he totally wasn’t constantly desperate for, nope, not at all), and yeah, the monthly stipend from S.H.U.S.H was nothing to sneeze at, but  _ this-  _ this rush, this feeling of absolute  _ freedom? _

Launchpad was probably the only thing he loved more.

* * *

“Okay, Mallard, it’s go time,” he started as he turned off the engine and got off his bike in the S.H.U.S.H HQ parking garage. He took off his helmet, staring at his reflection intently. “This is your first ever  _ real  _ mission as a superhero. It’s time to show the world that Darkwing Duck is  _ back.” _

He cleared his throat as he put his helmet back in the sidecar, bouncing from foot to foot and slowly fanning his hands to try and get some energy out. 

He then burst into excited giggles, bouncing up and down and rapidly flapping his hands before he realized what he was doing. Shame quickly set in, but he shook his head, balling up his fists.

“No, no, no, it’s- it’s not wrong.  _ They  _ were wrong. There’s nothing wrong with loud hands. Nothing wrong with  _ me.” _

Drake cleared his throat again, then took a deep breath, puffing up his chest as he strode over to the elevator. He flapped his hands again while inside a couple times for good measure, just barely regaining his composure before the doors opened.

“Have no fear, good agents of S.H.U.S.H, for I, Darkwing Duck, am here to... uh...” Drake deflated a bit, looking around at the empty hallway. “Where the heck  _ is  _ everyone?”

Just as he said that, a door opened, revealing the bald-headed director of S.H.U.S.H.

“Ah, good, Darkwing, you’re here! You really did mean it when you said an hour, didn’t you?”

“Of course! A Junior Woodchuck- er, I mean, Darkwing Duck  _ always  _ keeps his promises!”

Director Hooter hummed, turning and gesturing for Drake to follow him down the hall.

“So, uh... what’s my big assignment?” Drake asked, trying to keep his tone as cool and casual as possible.

“Well, as you may have heard, two nights ago there was a break-in at a certain top-secret military facility. The only thing that was stolen was the final project of the late Professor Edward Waddlemeyer.”

“I heard about that... he died under suspicious circumstances about four months ago, right?”

“Yes, and we believe that his death and the theft of his final project are both the work of one Taurus Bulba.”

“Whu- Taurus Bulba?! Isn’t he in prison for like, three consecutive life sentences?!”

Director Hooter chuckled humorlessly as he came to a stop next to a door on the left side of the hall.

“A bull such as Mr. Bulba would never let something like life imprisonment stop him from conducting business. We believe he orchestrated the heist from within the prison.”

“Oh...” Drake blinked, then perked up. “And- and you want me to investigate how he did it, right?! Find out which guard is on the take?!”

“Heavens no!”

Drake blinked.

“Huh?”

“Darkwing, you’re barely off probation! I couldn’t in good conscience give you that sort of responsibility!”

Drake deflated, shoulders sagging as he turned his gaze to the floor.

“Oh... I guess that makes sense...”

“However.”

Drake perked up again.

“However?”

“However, I  _ do  _ have an assignment for you that is just as important to our efforts to keep Professor Waddlemeyer’s machine from being used for wrongdoing.” Director Hooter opened the door, walking inside. Drake was practically bouncing as he followed him in, only to abruptly freeze when saw that all that was inside was a plain white table and chair, which had a young, red-haired duckling sitting in it playing on an Oshidori Swap. Her feathers were brown, though she had a few yellow down feathers still dotting her cheeks, and she was leaning back in her chair, her feet propped up on the table.

“... bwuh?”

Director Hooter cleared his throat.

“Ahem. Miss Waddlemeyer? Could you come here, please?”

A pair of green eyes looked up at them, narrowing in confusion when she and Drake made eye contact. She didn’t look away as she slipped her console into her jacket pocket, getting out of her chair and walking over to them.

“Darkwing Duck, this young lady is Gosalyn Waddlemeyer, the late Professor Waddlemeyer’s granddaughter.”

“Uh... nice to meet you, Gosalyn,” Drake started as he held out his hand for her to shake. “Er, sorry for your loss.”

Rather than shaking his hand, the duckling looked him up and down, arching an eyebrow.

“Pfft, what are  _ you  _ supposed to be, some kinda Duck Avenger ripoff?”

“Wha- why does everyone keep  _ saying  _ that?!” Drake shouted, throwing his hands in the air. “I’m  _ Darkwing Duck!  _ Dark! Wing! If anything, the Duck Avenger was a ripoff of  _ me!” _

“Really, cause I’ve heard of the Duck Avenger, but I’ve never heard of some guy in purple who runs around in a floppy hat and a cape.”

“Why, you-!” Drake bit back his anger, muttering about kids these days under his breath. He exhaled, turning back to Director Hooter. “Look, I’m sorry, but I really don’t understand. What does this kid have to do with my assignment?”

“Miss Waddlemeyer  _ is  _ your assignment, Darkwing.”

Drake blinked.

“... say wha?”

“Late last night, Miss Waddlemeyer was nearly abducted by someone suspected of working for Mr. Bulba. Luckily, one of our undercover agents rescued her before they could take her away, and she was taken to S.H.U.S.H HQ for safe-keeping. Your assignment is to make sure that she remains safe until we’ve recovered her grandfather’s project.”

“But- but- but- but why would Bulba want to kidnap her? She’s like, five years old!”

“I’m  _ ten,  _ you caped cretin!”

Drake shot her a look, then turned back to his boss.

“Fine, why would Bulba want to kidnap a ten-year-old? What use would he have for her?”

“According to the agent that rescued her, Bulba believes that Miss Waddlemeyer knows the key to activating her grandfather’s machine.”

Drake blinked, furrowing his brow and turning back to Gosalyn.

“Uh,  _ do  _ you know that?”

“Of course not! I’m just a kid, why would my grandpa have told me how to operate military-grade machinery?”

Drake blinked again, then shrugged.

“She has a point.”

“That may be so, but the fact is that Mr. Bulba believes she knows something, and is not likely to stop until he gets what he wants.” Director Hooter looked back at Gosalyn. “Besides, you were practically raised in your grandfather’s lab, Miss Waddlemeyer. You may know more than even you’re aware of.”

“I  _ really _ doubt that.”

Director Hooter sighed, then cleared his throat once more.

“In any case, Darkwing, I suggest you take her somewhere extremely secure and wait it out.”

“Wh- hey, wait, I never agreed to take on this- this  _ glorified babysitting job!  _ And why can’t she just stay here, anyway?!”

Director Hooter gave him a look.

“Because the headquarters of a top-secret spy organization is no place for a ten-year-old. Besides, she already broke a window.”

“I  _ said  _ I was sorry about that!”

“Yes, well... as for your other concern, Darkwing, if you don’t feel prepared to take on this assignment, I’m sure I can find someone else.”

“Wh- I never said I couldn’t do it, I just don’t want  _ this  _ assignment! I’m a superhero, for Pete’s sake! I helped stop an alien invasion!”

“And if you do your part here, you’ll be helping us to stop a criminal from doing who-knows-what with a piece of cutting-edge technology.” Director Hooter narrowed his eyes. “It’s your choice, Darkwing. Either you can keep an eye on Miss Waddlemeyer, or I can find a cat in a tree for you to rescue.”

Drake opened his mouth to argue, then closed it when he realized he didn’t have a leg to stand on here, finally sighing and nodding.

“Alright, fine, I’ll keep an eye on the kid.”

“Excellent! Now, Miss Waddlemeyer, you behave for Darkwing, alright?”

“Yeah, sure, whatever. Can I have my skateboard and helmet back now?”

Director Hooter sighed, nodding.

“Stop by and pick them up at reception on your way out.” He leaned in a bit. “Make sure you keep her away from windows.”

“I heard that!”

Director Hooter winced, then cleared his throat.

“Ahem. If you’ll both excuse me...”

“Uh-huh. Oh, uh, sir? Mrs. Beakley says hello.”

Director Hooter paused, then brightened considerably.

“Oh, well, tell Bentina hello back, then! Goodness, it’s been a while since we last saw each other. Perhaps we’ll be able to catch up over lunch some time soon, heh!”

With that, the director left the room, closing the door behind him. Drake glanced at Gosalyn, who was staring at him expectantly, trying to figure out just where he was supposed to take a ten-year-old who was the target of one of the worst criminals of the past two decades.

Well, okay, he knew  _ exactly _ where he should take her, he just didn’t like it.

“... alright. Gosalyn.”

“Darkwing,” she replied.

“Look, can you- can you just stay here for a few minutes? I need to make a call.”

Gosalyn snorted, walking over to lean against the wall and getting her console out of her pocket.

“Sure, whatever, dude.”

Drake rolled his eyes, then sighed, walking out of the room and closing the door behind him before pulling his phone out of his pocket and navigating to Launchpad’s contact.

_ “Hey, honey! How’s it going?” _

“Well, I got my assignment.”

_ “Oh, nice! So, what is it? Or, wait, are you allowed to tell me that?” _

Drake sighed.

“I sure hope so, cause I’m gonna need your help with this.”

_ “Huh? Me?” _

“Yeah, uh, look, you... you heard about that- that inventor who died under suspicious circumstances a few months ago, right?”

_ “Uh, I think so... Dr. Trottingbyer, right?” _

“Professor Waddlemeyer, actually. Anyway, his super-secret final invention got stolen a couple nights ago, and the guy who stole it thinks that the inventor’s granddaughter has the key to making it work.” He took a breath. “So guess who got assigned babysitting duty?”

_ “... is it you?” _

“It  _ is _ me, good guess. Anyway, Hooter says she can’t stay here- something about a broken window- and, well, the most secure place I know of is the manor.”

_ “So you wanna bring her here?” _

“I don’t know what  _ else  _ to do with her!” Drake snapped, immediately regretting it. He sighed, shaking his head. “Oh, I’m sorry, LP, I didn’t... I shouldn’t take this out on you, I’m just...”

_ “Frustrated?” _

“Yeah... wasn’t exactly picturing playing nanny to some kid as my first real mission, y’know?”

_ “I know, Drake. But hey, ya gotta start somewhere, right?” _

Despite himself, Drake laughed, shaking his head and leaning against the wall.

“I guess so. Anyway, can you ask your boss if I can take her there?”

_ “Oh, sure, hang on.”  _ Drake heard a shuffle on the other end, and when Launchpad started talking again his voice was a little muffled.  _ “Hey, Mr. McDee! Can Drake bring the kid he’s been assigned to protect back to the mansion?” _

He heard a distant, Scottish-accented answer that he couldn’t quite make out.

_ “Uh, he wants to know if you’re sure that she’s not actually some kind of Trojan horse sent by one of his sworn enemies?” _

“Wh- Yes, Launchpad, I’m pretty sure that the ten-year-old girl in S.H.U.S.H custody isn’t a Trojan horse.”

_ “Okay. He says he’s pretty sure!” _

Another distant, Scottish-accented answer.

_ “He, uh, he wants to know if you just  _ think  _ she’s not a Trojan horse, or if you actually checked.” _

“What the- just how would I even go about checking that?!”

_ “Er... Mr. McDee, Drake wants to know-!” _

_ “Oh, for the love of- give me that!”  _ He heard McDuck grumble a bit.  _ “Alright, Mr. Mallard, is the girl with you now?” _

“Um, no, she’s in the other room. I stepped out so she, y’know, wouldn’t learn my secret identity?”

_ “Well, go back in! I can’t check unless she can hear me!” _

“Okay, okay!” Drake bit back a sigh, opening the door and walking inside. “Er, sorry, Gosalyn, can you pause your game for a sec?”

Gosalyn blinked, giving him a weird look as she put the system in her lap.

“Uh, okay?”

“Great. Okay, I’ve got her attention, now what?”

_ “Put me on speaker.” _

Drake did so, holding out his phone.

“Now what-?”

McDuck suddenly bellowed a chant that seemed to be made up of utter gibberish, yelling the last syllable emphatically before falling silent. Gosalyn blinked a few times, beak falling open as she glanced between Drake and his phone.

“... er... exactly what was  _ that _ supposed to do?”

_ “Well, if she was a Trojan horse, she should have exploded in a magical ball of light. Did she?” _

“N... No, she’s- she’s very much, uh,  _ un-exploded,  _ as it were.”

_ “Ah, well, I suppose the magical barrier will catch anything the incantation didn’t. Bring her on in!”  _

There was a  _ whoosh  _ on the other end, followed by a yelp from Launchpad and a shuffle.

_ “S-Sorry about that, he- he kinda threw my phone in the air.” _

Drake sighed, shaking his head as he took his phone off speaker. 

“It’s- it’s fine. We should be back in around an hour. In the meantime, I need you to brief everyone on the situation.” He glanced at Gosalyn, who arched an eyebrow at him. “And make sure everyone’s on the same page regarding my...  _ secret identity,  _ yeah?”

_ “Including Dewey?” _

_ “Especially  _ Dewey.”

Launchpad chuckled, and despite everything Drake still felt his heart flutter at the sound.

_ I love you,  _ he didn’t say. Instead, he returned Launchpad’s goodbye, then hung up, slipping his phone into one of his pockets.

“Alright, Gosalyn, let’s head out.”

Gosalyn eyed him suspiciously as she got up, putting her system away again.

“Are you taking me to that crazy guy’s place?”

“He’s not crazy, just unthinkably old and eccentric. And trust me, you’ll be safer at his place than you will anywhere else.”

“Well... okay, but I’m warning you, I still got a lot of baby teeth left, so I won’t hesitate to bite you if something happens.”

Drake blinked, then shrugged.

“Fair enough. Come on, let’s go get your stuff from reception.”

Two elevator rides later, they were in the parking garage once again. Drake took his helmet from the side-car before opening the door for Gosalyn. She jumped in, arranging her skateboard and helmet next to her before getting her console back out.

“... Ahem,” Drake said pointedly. She looked up at him, eyebrow arched.

“What?”

“Aren’t you forgetting something?”

She blinked, then glanced at the bike, then glanced at him again.

“Dude, I’m ten, I don’t know how to drive.”

“Your  _ helmet.” _

“What about it?”

“Put it on.”

“Wha- what, do you want me to skateboard alongside your ride? That seems pretty counterproductive.”

Drake frowned, folding arms across his chest. 

“Everyone has to wear a helmet, whether they’re on the bike or in the sidecar. No exceptions.”

“What?! Oh, come  _ on,  _ that’s so uncool!”

“Yeah? You know what else is uncool? Ending up as a duckling-flavored  _ splat  _ on the sidewalk.”

Gosalyn rolled her eyes, but finally relented, grabbing her green bike helmet and strapping it on before slumping back in her seat and crossing her arms.

“Geez, you’re such a  _ dad.” _

Drake rolled his eyes, muttering about kids these days again as he put on his own helmet and got on the Ratcatcher.

“Seatbelt.”

“Wh-  _ seriously?!” _

“Seat.  _ Belt.” _

She grumbled again, but did as he told her. 

“Thank you,” he said before turning the key in the ignition. He drove out of the parking garage much slower than he’d driven in, keeping his speed around five miles under the limit just to be safe. 

* * *

For a little while, everything went surprisingly smoothly. Rush hour was still two hours away, so there wasn’t too much traffic, and even at this reduced speed Drake was pretty sure they’d be back at the manor within the hour. 

And then, because Drake could never have  _ one thing  _ (other than Launchpad) go right for him, that all changed.

“Hey, uh, Darkwing?”

“No, Gosalyn, we can’t drive through Hamburger Hippo on the way over to the hideout.”

“Not what I was gonna ask, but boooooo. I was  _ gonna _ ask if you thought that black car behind us was getting weirdly close.”

Drake blinked, then narrowed his eyes, glancing at the side mirror.

“What the...? Ugh, can’t anyone just change lanes nowadays?” With a sigh, he turned on his blinker, moving into the left lane and waiting for the car to pass by them.

Instead, it switched into their lane.

“Uh... I don’t think he was trying to get by you, dude...”

“No, I suspect not-! Hey! Sit down this instant, young lady!” 

“But Darkwing!” Gosalyn whined as she turned back around and plopped down in the seat. “I’m pretty sure that the guy driving that car is the one that tried to nab me earlier!”

“Wh- ooh, boy.” Drake grit his teeth, wracking his brain for a solution. “Uh... okay, Gosalyn?”

“Yeah?”

“You’re gonna want to put your game somewhere safe. This could get a little bumpy.”

Gosalyn blinked at him, then, to his surprise, grinned as she put her console away.

“Keen gear. Let’s do this!”

Drake made a mental note to ask Dewey just what the heck  _ keen gear  _ meant before revving the engine.

“ _ Let’s. Get. Dangerous!” _ With that, he slammed his foot on the gas, the Ratcatcher rocketing forward in seconds. They practically left the car in the dust, the buildings on the street turning into blurs of color.

“Woooooo- _ hoo!”  _ Gosalyn cheered, throwing her hands in the air. She then paused, leaning over towards the bike. “Uh, Darkwing? I think he’s gaining on us!”

“Yes, I can  _ see  _ that, Gosalyn, and hey!” He gently pushed her back into the sidecar. “Hands and head inside the vehicle at all times!”

“Ugh,  _ fine,  _ but I’m not sure you’re gonna be able to outrun ‘em!”

Drake grit his teeth, looking down at the console of his bike. 

“Yeah, well, then it’s a good thing that Launchpad’s the only person more detail-oriented about this stuff than I am!”

“Wh- who’s  _ Launchpad-?!” _

He pressed the release button on the console, at which point a flood of grease came shooting out of the bike’s exhaust pipes, coating the road and forcing the car into an uncontrollable spin just as Drake turned onto a side road.

“Hah! So long, suckers!”

Just then, a black van appeared out of nowhere, clearly trying to block their path.

“Oh, me and my big mouth! Ugh, okay, brace yourself, kid!”

The tires skid against the street as he turned sharply, speeding down the narrow streets he still remembered by heart.

“Y-You sure you know where you’re going?!”

“Hah! Are you kidding, I learned to drive my first bike on these streets!”

“Whoa, really?!”

“Yeah! I’ve been driving motorcycles since before you were even a twinkle in your dad’s  _ whoa!”  _ Drake yelped as a bullet sped past them, reaching over and pushing Gosalyn’s head down. “Okay, storytime later, you keep your head down!”

“Okay!” A muffled voice replied. 

Drake revved the engine again, weaving through the streets and alleys as evasively as he could before finally running out of backstreets and arriving near the bridge.

Which, unfortunately, was currently parted to allow a large ship to pass by.

“Oh,  _ come on!”  _ Drake grit his teeth, glancing over his shoulder to see that both the car and the van were quickly gaining on them. When he looked in front of them... “Ooh, boy. Okay, Gosalyn?”

“Yeah?”

“I’m gonna try something, but I need you to promise that you’ll never, and I mean  _ never,  _ attempt something like this yourself!”

“What? What are you-?!”

“Just promise me!”

“Okay, okay! I promise!”

“Good.” He revved the engine. “Now duck!”

“What the heck does that-?!” 

Drake slammed his foot on the gas pedal again, swerving onto the other side of the road and driving around the solid city block of traffic waiting for the bridge to go down. He heard the bridge operator yell as he broke through the crossing gate, and Gosalyn screamed as he steered back onto the right side of the road, up, up, up the raised bridge.

“Come on, come on... Launchpad, don’t fail me now...!”

The ship was directly underneath them when they drove off the bridge, and whether Drake somehow got the timing right or by just sheer, dumb luck, they actually made it onto the other side, bouncing a couple of times before finally stabilizing enough for Drake to actually steer. He drove through yet another gate, this time shouting an apology at the operator as they sped past, though he didn’t stop until they were well within the city. He pulled off next to what appeared to be an abandoned gas station, heart hammering in his chest as he tried to recover from... all of that.

“Hoo, oh man, that... that was sure something, eh, Gos?” He blinked when she didn’t answer, turning his head towards her. “Gosalyn-? Oh.”

Gosalyn was currently curled up in a little ball in the side car, trembling and letting out heartbreaking little whimpers. Drake’s heart dropped into his stomach, and he swallowed the lump that had suddenly formed in his throat.

“Oh, geez, Gosalyn, I’m- I-I’m really sorry, I should’ve- I should’ve done a better job of warning you, or, or found another way-!”

Suddenly, the whimpers turned into giggles, making Drake pause and arch an eyebrow.

“Uh, Gosalyn?”

“That. Was.  _ Awesome!”  _ Gosalyn cheered as she jumped in her seat. Her green eyes were practically full of stars, and she was grinning from ear to ear. “Can we do that again?!”

Drake blinked, then groaned, letting his forehead hit the console, realizing too late that he’d hit the eject button on his seat.

“Wait, nononon _ ooaaAAHHHH!”  _ He screamed as he found himself flung into the air. He twisted and flailed, trying to figure out a way to land, only to find himself dropping straight into an overgrown bush. “Ughhh...”

“You okay, Darkwing?”

Drake spit out the leaf that had gotten into his mouth, narrowing his eyes.

“Just  _ peachy.”  _ Before Drake could even think about getting up, he heard a branch snap, quickly finding himself falling right on his back again. “Argh! Stupid, overgrown piece of-!”

He heard Gosalyn giggle again, and when he looked over at the sidecar the girl was practically  _ crying  _ with laughter. 

And somehow, the sight just made all of the anger and frustration drain out of him.

“Well... at least she’s taking in all in stride.” He grimaced as he fought his way out of the bush. “Just hope she’s able to keep it up around Huey, Dewey, Louie, and Webby...”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I haven't been this productive in forever and I must follow this wave of inspiration wherever it leads
> 
> Anyway, welcome to the third entry in my Ducktales series, and the first multi-chapter work! I decided to split this into three parts because... well because otherwise it would just be a monster of a document, this one chapter is a little over seventeen pages long all by itself lmao
> 
> A few notes: the medications that Drake takes are an anti-depressant (bupropion), a treatment for alcohol dependency (naltrexone), and testosterone (Andriol, drug name testosterone undecanoate). I did my best to make sure that none of these medicines would interact poorly IRL, although I did read that a combo drug of bupropion and naltrexone is used to treat obesity, but if anyone has better suggestions I'm all ears!
> 
> Also, from what I can tell Professor Waddlemeyer and Director Hooter don't have canon first names (at least, not in English), so for the professor I gave him the name "Edward" (after Edward Thaddeus "Tad" Stones, of course), and for Hooter I used the name the German dub of the original Darkwing series gave him, "Julius." I know some people call him John after his namesake J. Edgar Hoover, but as someone with a whole ass criminology degree? Fuck J. Edgar Hoover.
> 
> Finally, the game system that Gos has is basically a Duckverse bland-name product of the Nintendo Switch. Oshidori is actually the Japanese word for a Mandarin duck, hence the Oshidori Swap. If I had to guess, she's probably playing Duck Mario.
> 
> Or possibly Duck Skyrim, I dunno what Prof. Waddlemeyer's game policy was.
> 
> Thank you so much for reading! And especially thank you to everyone who's left such kind comments on the previous entries! It really does mean a lot to me. The next chapter will probably be out within the week, assuming I don't die trying to finish all my project proposals lmao. Grad school, kids: not even once.
> 
> (That was a joke, you may need to go to grad school to get a job in your chosen field barring significant changes to how employment works in the US)
> 
> Comments are always appreciated!


	2. Someday, Somewhere, Somehow, You're Gonna Feel Found

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warning! There are brief references to parental abandonment, transphobia, ableism, and alcoholism in this chapter. Viewer discretion is advised.

If Gosalyn Elizabeak Waddlemeyer was anything, it was certainly nobody’s fool. She’d been through too much in her short life to ever fall for some obvious, cockamamie scheme- all that glitters, and all that jazz.

However, even she had to admit that McDuck Manor was just plain  _ awesome  _ as Darkwing drove them up towards it.

“Whoa...  _ keen gear.” _

The garage, on the other hand, was a lot less impressive than the main house.

“Geez, who lives  _ here,  _ a pig?”

“Firstly, that’s very rude, most pigs are actually very cleanliness-oriented. Secondly,” Darkwing started as he picked picked Gosalyn up by the back of her jacket, “you should really be more considerate of others. You don’t know anything about the person who lives here!”

Gosalyn blinked, then tilted her head a bit.

“Uh... is this  _ your  _ room?”

Darkwing blinked, then cleared his throat, looking away.

“Uh, well, no, it’s- it’s not, but!” He held up a finger. “The person who  _ does  _ live here is very important to me! So, uh, be nice, okay?”

Gosalyn shrugged.

“Okay, whatever, but it’s still a mess.”

Darkwing snorted, tucking her under his arm in one smooth motion.

“No arguments here. Come on, let’s get into the main house before something  _ else  _ goes wrong.”

“Uh, you know I can walk, right?”

“Sorry, but I  _ absolutely  _ do not trust you not to run off.”

Gosalyn opened her mouth to argue, then closed it, shrugging.

“Fair enough.”

Darkwing snorted, carrying her out of the garage and across the lawn. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw someone’s head poke out from behind the wall, and she gasped.

“Look out!”

“Huh? Ack!” Darkwing swung his cape up like a shield, kneeling down and covering Gosalyn as best he could as several projectiles hit him with... well, with a  _ splash.  _ “What the-? Are these...  _ water balloons?  _ What in the world is  _ augh!” _

Gosalyn giggled when a particularly massive water balloon hit Darkwing square in the face, completely soaking him from his head down to his shoulders.

“Whoops! Sorry, Dra- I mean, Darkwing! I thought you were Launchpad!”

Darkwing spat out a bit of rubber, grumbling as he stood up and set Gosalyn down.

“Della, in exactly what world do I look  _ anything  _ like Launchpad?!”

Della shrugged.

“Well, I thought maybe he decided to dress up in his hat and cape while we were playing again! You guys do that like, all the time.”

Darkwing opened his mouth as if to argue, then closed it.

“... okay, fair point, but he’s still like, twice my size!”

“I said I was-! Oh, hey, there, kiddo! You must be Gosalyn, right?”

“Holy smokes, what happened to your  _ leg?!”  _ Gosalyn asked before she could stop herself.

“Gosalyn!” Darkwing chastised her, giving her a look. Della laughed, shaking her head.

“No, it’s okay, I’m used to it. I lost it in an accident. It... kinda got trapped under the debris from the rocketship I crashed on the moon. Which I then spent ten years on... alone... trapped on the cold surface while only able to stare out into the inky black void of space...”

Della trailed off, eyes glazing over as she stared into the distance. Gosalyn glanced up at Darkwing, who looked about as uncomfortable as she felt, but just when he opened his beak to say something, a trio of red, blue, and green water balloons hit her in the side of the head.

“What the-?! Hey! Hubert, Dewford, and Llewelyn Duck! No fair hitting someone who’s distracted!”

“Ya snooze ya lose, Mom!” A voice called from behind the house, accompanied by laughter and the sound of high fives.

“Oh, you-! Sorry, guys, gotta go take revenge on my traitorous offspring. Feel free to join the game if you want, and it was nice meeting you, Gosalyn!” She disappeared behind the house, only to pop her head back out a second later. “Oh, uh, fair warning, we don’t know where Webby is. Bye!”

Darkwing sighed, shaking his head as he wrung out his cape.

“Fantastic.”

“Uh, who’s Webby?”

“The most dangerous person you will ever meet.”

“Huh.” Gosalyn hesitated, pursing her bill, and then turned away from Darkwing as quietly as she could, trying to take as big of a step as possible-!

Darkwing reached over, grabbing her by the hood of her jacket and pulling her back.

“Nope.”

“Wh- ugh.” She pouted, crossing her arms. “Well, it was worth a shot.”

“Uh-huh, sure it was.” Darkwing sighed, giving up on wringing out the cape and instead wrapping it around his shoulders. “Hope Mrs. Beakley doesn’t kill me for tracking water into the house... c’mon, Gos, let’s get inside.”

“Whatever,” Gosalyn muttered, arms still crossed as she allowed Darkwing to guide her into the house. They walked through a pretty nice kitchen and dining room, and Gosalyn was once again struck by just how  _ fancy  _ this place was as they made their way toward the main entrance hall.

“Launchpad! There you are- uhhh...”

“Oh, hey, DW!” The tallest duck Gosalyn had ever seen in her life grinned at her before using the less-soaked lower half of his shirt to wipe off his face. “And you must be Gosalyn, right?”

“Uh, yeah... why are you all wet?”

“Oh, Mr. Dee got me with a water gun. Then Mr. McDee started chasing him around the house cause it was his special holy water gun.” Launchpad paused. “I mean, the water  _ in  _ the gun was holy, not the gun itself. Not sure how you’d make a water gun holy.”

“What if a priest blessed it? Wouldn’t that make it holy?”

Launchpad blinked, then pursed his bill, actually looking like he was thinking about it.

“Hm, not sure. I don’t really know if that applies to anything other than water itself.” He shrugged, grinning a bit. “I’ll have to ask Mr. McDee’s priest friend the next time he goes for another batch of holy water!”

Gosalyn blinked in confusion, trying to process the fact that, for the first time since her grandpa had died, an adult had actually taken one of her ideas  _ seriously.  _ She ended up clearing her throat, looking up at a still red-faced Darkwing and arching an eyebrow.

“Uh, what’s with him?”

“Oh, uh... DW? You okay?”

“Uhhhh,” Darkwing replied, sounding as if he were buffering. Gosalyn rolled her eyes, then elbowed him in the side. “Ow! What the-?! Hey!”

“Darkwing?” Launchpad asked before Darkwing could get too mad, sounding concerned. “Everything okay?”

“Huh? Oh, uh, yeah, I just, uh!” Darkwing chuckled sheepishly, tugging on his collar. “Er... what were we talking about?”

“Well, me and Gosalyn here were talking about whether a priest could make a water gun holy by blessing it, or if that only applies to the water itself. What do you think?”

“I... think I blocked out most of the religious stuff I learned in Catholic school, and wait, aren’t you Jewish?”

Launchpad shrugged.

“Yeah, but I still picked up a lot of stuff. Kinda hard not to, considering how Christmas is pretty ubiquitous in the US.”

Darkwing blinked, then shrugged.

“Fair point. Anyway, uh, as you guessed, this is Gosalyn Waddlemeyer. Gosalyn, this is Launchpad McQuack.”

“Ah, so this is the famous Launchpad,” Gosalyn responded, folding her arms across her chest. 

Launchpad blinked, tilting his head a bit.

“Famous?”

“Ah-heh, long story, which I will tell you after I change into something that  _ isn’t  _ completely soaked.”

“Oh, yeah, why  _ are  _ you all wet, anyway?”

“Because Della somehow mistook me for  _ you  _ while throwing water balloons. Apparently she thought you might be running around in your Darkwing cape and hat.”

“Wha- why would I do that?! The water could ruin them! You know how long it took me to make those?”

Darkwing gave him a pointed look.

“Considering I made  _ this  _ costume, yes I do.”

Launchpad winced, then grinned sheepishly.

“Ah-heh, sorry, DW.”

Darkwing sighed, but smiled at him all the same, walking over to him and pulling him down so he could kiss him on the cheek. Gosalyn’s eyebrows rose in surprise, but she didn’t say anything.

Mostly cause she’d already suspected it anyway.

“I’m gonna go change into something that isn’t soaking wet. Keep an eye on her for me, okay?”

“Will do, babe!” Launchpad replied as Darkwing started up the stairs, turning back to Gosalyn with a grin.

Neither of them said anything for a full minute, instead just standing around awkwardly.

“Soooo,” Gosalyn finally started, “are you and Darkwing like,  _ together,  _ or...?”

“Oh, yeah, we’re, uh, we’re dating! One-month anniversary was last week, heh.”

“Cool, cool.”

Another awkward silence. Launchpad cleared his throat.

“So, uh, why am I the  _ famous  _ Launchpad?”

“Huh? Oh, uh, Darkwing kept mentioning you whenever he did something cool with his bike. Did you like, modify it or something?”

“Nah, I didn’t  _ modify  _ it, I built it!”

“Oh, that’s- wait, say  _ what?” _

“I built it myself! Complete custom job from the console to the wheel alignment!” He beamed. “Even mixed the color for her paint job. Can’t believe no one carries that shade of purple.”

“Okay, wait wait wait, slow down.” Gosalyn put her hands together, taking a deep breath. “You built your boyfriend a bike.”

“Yup!”

“Like, an entire bike. From scratch.”

“Sure did! And the sidecar, and-!” Launchpad paused, looking around before leaning down to her height. “I’m also working on a super top secret special project in the hangar. Don’t tell DW, though, it’s a surprise!”

“... What  _ are  _ you?!”

“A pilot!” Launchpad replied cheerfully as he stood up straight. “Though I also drive Mr. McDee around, and I do maintenance on most of his vehicles- used to do all of it, but Miss Dee and I started splitting the work on the airplanes when she came back, and Mr. Dee refuses to let me touch any of the aquatic vehicles after I almost crashed the submarine that one time.”

Gosalyn stared at him for a minute, completely speechless.

“I... okay, putting all of that aside for just a minute, I gotta ask-  _ why  _ did you build your boyfriend a bike?”

Launchpad snorted, folding his arms across his chest.

“Cause you can’t be Darkwing Duck without the Ratcatcher, _ duh.” _

“The wha?”

“The Ratcatch-!” Launchpad froze, eyes going wide as something akin to sheer horror dawned on his face. “W... Wait, have... have you never heard of  _ Darkwing Duck?!” _

“Uh, of  _ course  _ I’ve heard of Darkwing Duck? He’s upstairs? Brought me here on the bike you built him?”

“That- no, not  _ that  _ Darkwing, the  _ original  _ Darkwing!”

“Original?”

“The TV show!” Launchpad cried, waving his arms emphatically. “Starring Jim Starling in the title role! It ran from 1991 to 1998!”

“Ah, I think I see the problem. See, Launchpad, if your TV show ended in 1998, then that means I wasn’t even  _ born  _ when it was on.”

Launchpad blinked.

“You weren’t?”

“I’m ten years old, dude, I was born in 2008!”

“What? No, you couldn’t have been born in 2008, that would only make you...” Launchpad paused, then counted on his fingers. “... huh, no, actually, that’s right. Man, was that already ten years ago?”

“Uh, yeah,  _ duh.” _

Launchpad laughed, shaking his head.

“Well, I guess it makes sense that you wouldn’t have seen it, then. But! That means you’re in for a real treat!”

“I am?”

“Yeah! I just so happen to have the entire series on VHS!”

“Uh... is that the box thing they used to wheel into the classroom to play Quill Nye the Science Guy in first grade before all the classrooms in school got built-in projectors?”

“... Wow, I am getting  _ old.  _ But yeah! Do you wanna watch?”

“Uh...” Truth be told, Gosalyn didn’t really have much interest in watching some old TV show, but, well, the absolute earnest  _ excitement  _ in the big guy’s eyes was kinda making it hard to say no. “... You know what, why not? It’s not like I’ve got anything else to do.”

_ “Yes!”  _ Launchpad cheered, pumping his fist. “I’ll get everything set up- the box of tapes and my VHS are in my room in the garage!”

“Oh, so that’s  _ your  _ room?”

“Huh? Yeah, why?”

“No reason!” Gosalyn paused, tilting her head. “Actually, I do have one more question.”

“Yeah?”

“Della said that you guys don’t know where someone named ‘Webby’ is, and Darkwing said that they’re ‘the most dangerous person I’ll ever meet.’ Should I be worried?”

“Ah, no, not at all! Webby’s great, she just gets a little... well,  _ competitive,  _ and I think she might be some kind of tiny ninja? But nah, there’s nothing to worry about  _ oof!” _

Just as Launchpad said that, a flash of white came shooting down from the rafters, landing on his shoulder and using him as a platform to jump off of before turning around and just  _ dousing  _ him with water. Launchpad yelped, then promptly slipped and fell right on his back the second he tried to take a step forward.

“Ha!” The white blurr, which turned out to be a female duckling in a pink shirt and purple sweater, crowed triumphantly as she landed. “Rule number one of war, McQuack- never let your guard down around the enemy!”

Launchpad groaned in response.

_ “Keen gear!”  _ Gosalyn exclaimed, bouncing up and down in excitement. 

“Huh?” The girl turned around, pushing up her night-vision goggles so they were on her forehead. 

“That was so  _ cool!  _ How did you do that?! Can you teach  _ me  _ how to do that?!”

“Wait... you’re not one of the triplets or Lena or Violet, so that means...” The girl gasped, eyes lighting up.  _ “New best friend!” _

“Huh? Whoa!”

The girl practically shook Gosalyn’s whole body with how fast she was shaking her hand.

“Hi! I’m Webby! Webby Vanderquack! What’s your name? How old are you? Where are you from? What’s your stance on adventures and mysteries?!  _ Do you wanna be friends?!” _

“Uh, whoa, whoa, down, girl!” Gosalyn replied, somehow getting her hand out of Webby’s grip and putting her hands on her shoulders to calm her down. She then took a deep breath. “I’m Gosalyn, Gosalyn Waddlemeyer. I’m ten, I’m from St. Canard, I guess I’m pro-adventure and mystery, and sure!”

Webby gasped, then squealed, bouncing up and down in excitement.

“Oh, this is so great! Now I have  _ six  _ friends!” She paused. “Well, six friends around my age, anyway, I guess Launchpad’s my friend too.”

“Yeeeeah, uh, should we do something about him, y’know, being kinda laid out on the floor?”

“Oh, he’ll be fine. Launchpad’s indestructible. Huey’s got a whole theory about it. Anyway, what brings you to McDuck Manor?”

“Darkwing Duck- the, uh, the real-life superhero, not the TV show that apparently exists. He was assigned to keep me from getting kidnapped by some guy who thinks I’ve got the code to activate my late grandpa’s final project.”

“Oh. Neat!”

Gosalyn blinked, arching an eyebrow.

“Wow, you- you sure took that in stride.”

Webby shrugged.

“My best friend was trapped in the Shadow Realm for six months after she sacrificed her physical form to save us from her evil kind of aunt.”

Gosalyn blinked again, beak falling open before she snapped it shut again.

“... okay, you win.”

Webby giggled, then gasped.

“Oh, oh! I have to show you around if you’re going to be staying here for a while!” Before Gosalyn could react to that, Webby had already grabbed her hand and started dragging her along.

“Whoa- okay, I guess we’re going over here now!”

They only got as far as the kitchen before Webby suddenly skidded to a halt, Gosalyn barely able to avoid running into her.

“Oh, hey, Granny! Why are you kneeling down like that?”

“Hello, Webbigail. Well, I was about to begin making lunch, but when I came into the kitchen there was a trail of water coming from the door.” Webby’s grandmother narrowed her eyes, her gaze falling on the water gun strapped to Webby’s back. “You wouldn’t happen to know anything about that, would you, dear?”

Webby flinched, chuckling nervously as she tried to hide the water gun behind her head.

“Uh, nope! Sorry, don’t know anything about any water wars!”

“Uh... huh.” Webby’s grandmother clearly didn’t believe her, but seemed to let it go, instead looking over at Gosalyn. “Well, now, who’s this young lady?”

“Oh!” Webby let go of Gosalyn’s hand, stepping to the side and gesturing broadly at her. “Granny, this is Gosalyn Waddlemeyer! Gosalyn, this is my granny, Bentina Beakley!”

“Hello, Miss Waddlemeyer, lovely to meet you. You may call me Mrs. Beakley,” she said as she held out her hand for Gosalyn to shake. 

“Uh, okay. You can call me Gosalyn,” she replied as she shook her hand. She then paused, narrowing her eyes and tilting her head. “Hey, don’t I know you from somewhere?”

“Surely not,” Mrs. Beakley replied coolly. “I’m afraid my work at the manor keeps me quite occupied, so I don’t get out much.”

“No, I’m pretty sure I’ve seen you before...” Gosalyn snapped her fingers. “I got it! You were at my grandpa’s funeral, weren’t you?”

“I haven’t been to any funerals recently, I’m afraid.”

“Ha! How did you know it was  _ recent?” _

“I guessed,” Mrs. Beakley answered as she stood up, dusting herself off before turning towards the kitchen island. 

“Don’t take it personally, she’s like that with everyone,” Webby told her before taking her hand again. “Come on, let’s go see what Della and the boys are-!”

“Gosalyn!” Launchpad called as he suddenly appeared in the doorway, leaning on it as he huffed, puffed, and dripped water everywhere. “Gos, come on, you can’t just run off like that! Darkwing told me I had to-!”

“Launchpad McQuack, just what do you think you’re doing?!” Mrs. Beakley demanded, putting her hands on her hips.

“Huh? Uh... talking to Gosalyn?”

“No, I mean what do you think you’re doing dripping water all over my hardwood floors?”

Launchpad blinked, then audibly gulped, a nervous grin spreading across his face.

“Uh... well, y’see, I’ve- I’ve actually got a very good explanation for that!”

“Really, because I would  _ love  _ to hear it.”

“Er... ooh, boy.”

“Psst!” Webby tugged on Gosalyn’s hand. “Come on! If we’re quiet enough, we can sneak up on the boys and help Della take back the lead!”

Gosalyn grinned at her.

“Miss Vanderquack, I do believe this is the start of a beautiful friendship.”

Webby beamed.

* * *

“On your left!”

“Huh? Ack!”

Gosalyn cackled as she doused Huey with her water gun, making him stumble back until he landed in a pile on his brothers, his water pistol flying out of his hand. 

“Ha-ha, that’s three for three! Game, set, and match!” 

“Nice one, ladies!” Della cheered, giving both Gosalyn and Webby hi-fives.

“Ughhh... how come  _ we  _ didn’t get to have the new kid on our team?” Louie complained. “Webby’s like, a whole five-man-squad all by herself!”

“Oh, my dear sweet little Louie,” Della started with a smirk as she twirled her water pistol around her finger, “I believe the expression is ‘you snooze, you lose.’”

“Turning my own words against me. Respect.”

Della laughed, walking over to her sons and helping them up before pressing a kiss to the top of each of their heads.

“Everyone okay? No scrapes, no bruises, no broken bones?”

“We’re fine, Mom!”

“Good, cause we’re tied with one victory to each team, although we’ve kinda lost a few members. Where  _ is  _ Launchpad, anyway?”

Webby and Gosalyn both whistled innocently, and Della gave them a look before shaking her head.

“Okay, well, he’ll turn up eventually I’m sure. And Donald’s still hiding from Uncle Scrooge- I can’t believe he’s seriously trying to make him pay for his next shipment of holy water.”

“I know, right?! He’s being ridiculous!” Donald shouted as he popped out of the bush he’d been hiding in.

“Ah- _ ha!”  _ A Scottish voice shouted; when Gosalyn looked over at the door to the kitchen, an older-looking duck in a top hat and red coat was pointing his cane right at Donald. “So  _ that’s  _ where you’ve been cowerin’!”

“Uh-oh.” Donald quickly jumped out of the bushes, booking it out of sight as a quacky screech followed him. 

“Get back here, ya scatterbrained scallywag!” Scrooge hollered as he started running after him, waving his cane in the air.

“No way! I’m not paying for your stupid holy water, you suspicious old coot!”

“Suspicious- a literal vampire broke into the mansion naught but a month ago! You were  _ there!” _

“Yeah, but I’m not made out of money like  _ some  _ people!”

Della sighed contentedly, putting her hands on her hips.

“At least some things never change.”

“Uh, does this happen a lot?” Gosalyn asked.

“Less often than you might think,” Dewey answered. “Hey, Mom? We’re out of water balloons.”

“Ah, well, then we must fill up some more! Come children, let us prepare our projectiles for this final glorious battle!”

“Yeah!” All the kids cheered as they started following her towards the hose. Unfortunately for Gosalyn, she was only able to take about two steps before she found herself being hoisted up into the air by the back of her jacket.

“And just where do you think  _ you’re  _ going, young lady?” Darkwing asked, free hand on his hip. Launchpad was right behind him, looking rather apologetic.

“Uh, to prepare the glorious armaments of war? Nice sweater vest, by the way, though I don’t think it really matches the mask.”

“Wh- it’s- it’s laundry day, okay? And the mask is important! Anyway! I told you to stay with Launchpad!”

“No, you told  _ Launchpad  _ to watch  _ me.” _

“The reverse was implied! Gosalyn, you can’t just go running off whenever you feel like it!”

Gosalyn scoffed.

“Oh, what, were you  _ worried _ about me?”

“Of  _ course  _ I was!”

Gosalyn blinked, eyes going wide.

“W... wait, really?”

“Yes, really! You’re my  _ assignment,  _ for Pete’s sake! Can you imagine what the director would say if I managed to lose a ten-year-old? I’d never get out of cat-in-tree duty!”

Gosalyn tried not to deflate too visibly, putting on a show of indifference as she rolled her eyes.

“Whatever. Look, I’m  _ fine,  _ so can I please go play with the others now?”

“Absolutely not.”

_ “What?!” _

“You can’t be outside right now! What if one of Bulba’s henchmen sneaks onto the premises and snatches you up? There’s no security system out here!”

“Actually, there kinda is-!”

“Not  _ now,  _ Launchpad, making a point! It’s not safe out here!”

“Uh, Webby is a literal tiny  _ ninja!  _ I’m just as safe out here with her as I am inside with you!”

_ “Webby  _ is eleven years old. What’s she going to do if some big hired goon tries to take you? She can’t fight off a grown man twice her size!”

“She knocked Launchpad onto his back in like ten seconds!”

“Wh-!” Darkwing looked back at Launchpad, who flinched.  _ “Really,  _ LP?”

“She got the drop on me!”

Darkwing scoffed, rolling his eyes as he turned back to Gosalyn.

“Well, whatever! You’re going inside, and that’s final!”

“That’s not fair!”

“Yeah, well, life’s not fair. Come on, there’s probably some reruns of Ottoman Empire on TV or something  _ ack!” _

Darkwing yelped as Gosalyn blasted him right in the face with the last bits of water in her gun, causing him to drop her onto the grass. She threw the gun at Launchpad, who was then too busy trying to catch it to go after her as she booked it across the yard.

“Wh-  _ Gosalyn Waddlemeyer,  _ you get your butt back here  _ this instant!” _

“You’ll have to catch me first!” She called before scoping out her surroundings. “Gotta hide, gotta hide... ah- _ ha!” _

She scampered up the nearest tree, clinging to the branch and watching through the leaves as Darkwing and Launchpad ran into her line of sight.

“Gosalyn! Gosalyn, come out right now!”

“I dunno, DW, don’t you think maybe you were a little too tough with her? The manor’s defenses  _ are _ gonna pick up on any intruders.”

“I-!” Darkwing sighed. “Look, yeah, I do feel a little bad about being so strict with her, but what else am I supposed to do? I’d feel even worse if something happened and she got hurt. She’s- she’s already been through so much...”

Gosalyn flinched, a small pit of regret dropping into her stomach.

“Well... maybe you should tell her that? She might listen if you told her why you were being so firm about it.”

“I... I guess you’re right. Geez, when did you become such an expert on kids, Launchpad?”

“I’ve lived here since Webby was five, babe, I picked up a few things-!”

The branch shook slightly under Gosalyn’s weight, more than a few leaves floating down to the ground. She cringed as Darkwing and Launchpad went silent, then again when she saw Darkwing creeping in under her branch.

“Gosalyn... come on out, kiddo, we’ve got you surrounded.”

She swallowed hard, sitting up and locking her legs around the branch.

“Give it up, Gos, this ain’t amateur hour! Crime may run like a stocking through this town... but it’s hopeless! No one gets the drop on Darkwing Duck-!”

Gosalyn dropped onto him, forcing him to fall flat on his face.

“Nobody except Gosalyn Waddlemeyer!” She cheered, pumping her fists in the air. “Geez, DW, you need to get some better material! The stuff they used to make Ruffin’ Reigns say on Monday Night Roar isn’t  _ half  _ as corny as that!”

Darkwing grunted, propping himself up.

“Oh, yeah? Well, how’s  _ this?!”  _

Before Gosalyn had time to react, she found herself being bounced up into the air, only to be caught by her ankles and held upside down.

“In a lightning move, Darkwing Duck turns the tables on the-!” 

Gosalyn swung herself closer, just enough so that she could start tickling his sides.

“T-Tiny ter-heh- _ ror,  _ ha, h-hey, come on, n-noooh fair t-tickling haha!”

Darkwing lost his balance, flopping onto his back as he laughed and releasing her ankles.

“All’s fair in love and war, Darkwing!” She teased before booking it out of there, only to find herself caught yet again just a minute later, this time by the back of her hood.

“Gotcha!” Launchpad declared as he held her up in front of his face. “Hey, good try, kiddo, but now it’s time to-!”

Gosalyn wordlessly unzipped her hoodie, letting her arms go slack and dropping out of it.

“... oh, right, zippers.” Launchpad narrowed his eyes, tossing her jacket behind him before leaning down to catch her. Gosalyn dove under him, climbing up onto his back before hooking her feet on his shoulder and leaning down to grab the hem of his t-shirt. “What the-?! Hey, what are you-?!”

She pulled up the t-shirt while pushing down on his head, effectively restraining his arms in his own shirt while covering his face. He struggled as she jumped off of him, and she stood watching as he failed to get out of her trap with pride.

“Launchpad! Launchpad, did you catch- Launchpad, what are you doing?” Darkwing asked as he ran up to them.

“... m’stuck,” Launchpad’s muffled voice admitted.

“Yes, I can see that, dear.” He sighed, then glanced between him and Gosalyn, eyes narrowing. “If I help my boyfriend, are you going to run away again?”

“I dunno. Maybe I will, maybe I won’t. But if you go after me, then it’s gonna be really hard to help Launchpad, isn’t it?”

“I! You... you...” Darkwing sighed, then looked thoughtful. “... look, how about this- you can play outside with the others,  _ if  _ you stick with me the whole time. But! In the meantime, you have to stay  _ right there  _ while I help Launchpad.”

Gosalyn gave him a look.

“And how do you know I’ll keep my end of the bargain?”

Darkwing shrugged.

“Well, I guess I’m just gonna have to trust you, aren’t I?”

Gosalyn blinked, beak parting slightly before she closed it again. She swallowed, trying to ignore the weird warm feeling in her stomach as she nodded and stuck her hands in the pockets of her jeans.

“Okay, then. Alright, big guy, gonna need you to hold still for this.”

“Mmkay!”

Darkwing reached up, then got on his toes, audibly straining as he tried to get a hold of his boyfriend’s shirt.

“Ugh, okay, LP, can you please lower your arms a little?”

“Kinda the whole problem here, buddy!” Launchpad’s muffled voice replied.

“Oh, for the love of- why do you have to be so tall?!”

“Sorry, it’s genetics- my dad’s like, six-eight!”

“Wha- is  _ everyone  _ in your family a giant?!”

“Nah, my mom’s five feet even. Makes it hard to get a good picture of ‘em, heh!”

Darkwing rolled his eyes, then stood flat on his feet. 

“Alright, well, I’m gonna try something else, so... brace yourself!”

“Uh, what am I bracing myself for, exactly-?!”

Darkwing jumped up on him, and while he was able to finally pull his shirt back down, he was only able to do so seconds before Launchpad lost his balance and they came tumbling down in a heap. 

“Ack! Launchpad, come on! I told you to brace yourself!”

“You never told me what I needed to brace myself  _ for!” _

“Why would you need a reason to brace yourself  _ before  _ you-!”

Gosalyn couldn’t help it- she absolutely  _ lost it,  _ cracking up so hard that she ended up doubling over. Tears of mirth formed at the corner of her eyes, but when she lifted her arms to wipe them she quickly found herself being lifted into the air.

“Gotcha!”

She squealed, still shaking with laughter as she struggled against Darkwing’s grip on her stomach. Before she could do much else, though, she felt herself go even higher into the air.

“And I got  _ you,  _ DW!”

“Wh- Launchpad,  _ no-!” _

Perhaps unsurprisingly, Launchpad almost immediately lost his balance again, and they all went tumbling down, Launchpad thankfully on the bottom to cushion their fall.

“Oof... everyone okay?”

“... Launchpad.”

“Er... yes, honey?”

“Please explain to me  _ why  _ you thought it would be a good idea to hoist me into the air while I was holding a struggling ten-year-old?”

“Uh... sorry, I-I guess I kinda got carried away-!”

Gosalyn burst into giggles again, shaking and squeaking against Darkwing’s chest. After a moment, Darkwing and Launchpad cracked up too, all three of them nearly crying with laughter as Launchpad shifted them into a sitting position. 

When they finally all calmed down, Gosalyn looked up at the two of them with the biggest smile on her face, and they looked back at her with smiles just as big, and for the first time in the four months since she came home from school to find her grandpa lying at the bottom of the stairs, Gosalyn actually felt like she was home.

Like she  _ belonged  _ somewhere.

It couldn’t last, of course.

“There you three are!” Della called as the rest of the group approached them. “Geez, we’ve been looking all over for you! Lunch is ready!”

“Aw, man! Did I miss the end of the war?”

“Fraid so,” a soaking wet Webby answered. “We won, though!”

“Because Webby is a five-man-squad all rolled into one,” an equally wet Dewey added.

Gosalyn sighed, getting up and dusting herself off.

“Aw, man...”

“Er... oh, well, maybe you guys could play another game after lunch?” Darkwing suggested as he got up. 

“Yeah! That would be great!” Webby agreed.

“Maybe something a  _ little  _ less wet, though,” Huey added as he wrung out his hat. 

Gosalyn grinned up at Darkwing, who smiled back at her.

Then Della cleared her throat.

“Well, I’m sure the kids will have tons of fun together, but  _ you,  _ Darkwing, won’t be joining them.”

“Eh? Why not?”

Della jerked her thumb over her shoulder.

“Uncle Scrooge caught Donald.” She smirked. “Which means  _ you,  _ mister, are gonna have one heck of a training session later.”

Darkwing blinked, then visibly deflated.

“Aw,  _ phooey.” _

* * *

Della hadn’t been kidding- Donald Duck was one heck of a tough teacher. 

He also apparently was very good at hitting things with a big stick.

“Ow! Come on, I totally dodged that!” Darkwing protested, his cape swishing behind him- he’d changed back into his full dorky regalia after lunch.

“Barely! Don’t get sloppy!” Donald chastised before swinging at him again. This time, Darkwing intercepted his strike with his own stick, forcing Donald off his rhythm before whacking him right between the eyes with his staff.

_ “OW!” _

“Ack!” Darkwing immediately dropped his staff, looking remorseful as he took a step towards Donald. “Oh, geez, are you okay? I-I’m so sorry, I didn’t mean to  _ waugh!” _

Donald grabbed his arm, turning him around and twisting it behind his back before pushing him down and kneeling on his back. Darkwing cried out, practically pounding the mat with his palm in an attempt to tap out. He sighed when Donald released his hold on him, propping himself up on his elbows and twisting around to glare at him.

“What was  _ that  _ for?!”

“You had the perfect opportunity to go for the eyes, but you hesitated.”

“Hesitated- I hit you between the eyes with a wooden stick!”

Donald scoffed.

“Please, you really think I’ve never gotten hit there before? Next time,  _ go for the eyes.” _

“But-! But what if I accidentally touch their eyeballs or something?!”

“You want to get punched in the stomach by some purse thief?”

“... no...”

“Then go for the eyes!”

Darkwing muttered something under his breath that Gosalyn couldn’t quite make out as he got up.

“Well, I’ll say this for Darkwing- he’s certainly...  _ resilient,”  _ Gosalyn said as she moved the one knight she had left.

“Yeah, I’m still working on my theory about that,” Huey replied as he moved his bishop.

“Oh, yeah, Webby said you had a theory about why Launchpad is basically indestructible?”

“Oh, it’s because he’s a giant.”

Gosalyn blinked.

“You... think he’s invincible because he’s big?”

“No, I think he’s descended from a race of giant beings that interbred with the ancestors of modern duck-kind.”

“Uh... huh...”

“Well, I’d like to hear a theory about why Uncle Donald is so good at this superhero-training thing!” Dewey said, sounding a little annoyed. “It’s been a month since the vampire attack, and he  _ still  _ won’t tell us where he learned those moves!”

Gosalyn had noticed that the hat Donald wore was the exact same as the one the Duck Avenger had, but decided it would be better to leave that explanation to the duck in question.

“He’ll tell us when he’s ready. Oh, and checkmate.”

“You- wait, what?” Gosalyn looked down, only to realize that Huey had captured her queen. “Aw, nuts.”

“Wow, Gos, that’s four losses in a row. You even lost to Dewey,” Louie commented.

“Yeah, you even lost to-  _ hey!”  _

“You’re really bad at this game, huh?”

Gosalyn froze, blood going cold.

_ You’re really bad at this game, huh? _

_ You’re really bad. You’re bad. _

_ You’re a problem child. A problem. A burden. _

_ No one wants you around. No one will  _ ever  _ want you around  _ ever  _ again, because you’re bad, you’re a bad person and everyone hates you, you should just-! _

“...lyn? Gosalyn!”

Gosalyn startled, blinking as she took in the faces of the other kids, who were all staring at her with worried expressions.

And, well, while the rational part of her knew it wasn’t fair to be mad at them- knew that wasn’t what Louie meant- she still couldn’t stop rage from bubbling up in her gut.

“I’m  _ fine,”  _ she snapped, crossing her arms and scooting back as she looked away. “This game’s stupid, anyway.”

Louie snorted.

“Wow,  _ someone’s  _ a sore loser.”

“I am  _ not!”  _ Gosalyn shouted, glaring at them. “This is just- just a stupid game that only stupid  _ nerds _ are good at!”

“Hey, don’t insult Huey like that!” Dewey yelled.

“Yeah, don’t-  _ hey!” _

“Um, Gosalyn, maybe you should calm down a-!” Webby started.

“I don’t need to calm down!” Gosalyn shouted as she stood up, fists balled up and shaking with anger. 

“Whoa, take it easy!” Louie scolded. “Geez, what’s your problem?”

“I am  _ not  _ a  _ problem child!”  _ Gosalyn screamed. Before she could stop herself, she reared back, kicking the chessboard and scattering the pieces Huey had reset everywhere.

_ “Hey!”  _ She heard Darkwing shout. “Gosalyn Waddlemeyer, just what do you think you’re doing?!”

“Louie started it!” She insisted when Darkwing stormed over to them, a worried-looking Launchpad and a cross-looking Della and Donald not far behind.

“No I didn’t! She just freaked out for no reason!”

“No reason?! You said I was a bad person!”

“Wh- Llewelyn Louis Duck, did you say that?” Donald demanded, putting his hands on his hips.

“Of course not! All I said was that she was she was bad at the  _ game!” _

“I know what you meant!” Gosalyn yelled. 

“Wh- I  _ meant _ that you’re bad at the  _ game,  _ not that you’re a bad  _ person! _ Why would you think that I meant-?!”

“Stop acting like there’s a difference!” Gosalyn stamped her foot, hot tears burning at her eyes. “Admit it, you just hate me too, don’t you?!”

“Hey, hey, Gos,” Launchpad started, taking a step forward and kneeling at her eye level. “Come on, kiddo, you  _ know  _ that isn’t true-!”

“Yes it is!” She cried, stepping away from him. “It has to be, because that’s what  _ always  _ happens! People get to know me, and- and then suddenly I’m too much for them, or a  _ problem child,  _ or- or whatever!”

“Gosalyn,” Darkwing started in a gentle voice as he took a step closer to her. “It’s- it’s okay. No one here hates you, just take a deep breath and-!”

“What do  _ you  _ care?!” Gosalyn glared at him through the tears in her eyes.  _ “You  _ didn’t want me either!”

Darkwing froze, but instead of getting angry like she thought he would, he just kind of... deflated, face crumpling as he looked away.

And somehow, that hurt worse than anything else had so far. 

Gosalyn swallowed, then sniffed, a small sob escaping her lips as she turned and ran towards the stairs.

“Gosalyn! Gosalyn, wait!”

* * *

It started raining while Gosalyn was hiding in the empty room she’d found on the second floor. She curled up in the bay window seat and listened to the droplets beat against the glass, the sound calming her and bringing her out of her angry state.

Of course, now she just felt like crap.

Louie hadn’t meant it like that, of  _ course  _ he hadn’t. He hadn’t thought she was a bad person, none of them did.

They probably did now, though, what with the way she’d screamed and yelled at them and kicked the chessboard and ruined Huey’s hard work. 

They probably hated her. Probably couldn’t wait for her to leave.

They were right to.

She really  _ was  _ a bad person, wasn’t she? A problem child that deserved to be alone for the rest of her life-!

She heard a creak in the floorboards just outside the room, and she jumped, half-glancing at the doorway before figuring it was probably Darkwing come to yell at her and curling up again.

“I’m not gonna apologize,” she announced. She really had no plans to, but that was less because she thought she was right (she didn’t) and more because what was she even supposed to say? That her stupid brain didn’t work right and made her feel like everyone hated her guts the second they didn’t show perfect approval?

“Okay,” a voice entirely different than the one she was expecting said, “well, we can talk about that later.”

Gosalyn blinked, looking up with wide eyes.

“Launchpad? What- what are you doing here, I thought Darkwing would be the one coming to yell at me.”

Launchpad smiled gently, shaking his head as he walked over to the other end of the bay window seat and sat down.

“We decided that it would be better if I came and talked to you. And no one’s going to yell at you, Gos- no one’s mad at you. You know that, right?”

Gosalyn snorted.

“Yeah, right.”

“No, really! Yeah, they were a little hurt, but I think they understood why you got so upset after I explained it to them.”

Gosalyn blinked, eyeing Launchpad suspiciously.

“Explained what?”

“Well, you have ADHD too, right?”

Gosalyn froze, a wave of embarrassment crashing over her as her cheeks grew hot.

“I’m-!” She paused, eyes going wide when she realized the full weight of what he’d just said. “W... Wait, you... do you...?”

“Have ADHD? Yeah, I do.”

“You... you mean... you mean grown-ups can have it too?”

“Well, yeah! You know that kids with ADHD grow up, right?”

“I...” Gosalyn couldn’t help but deflate a little, bringing her legs up to her chest and wrapping her arms around them. “I guess I just kinda hoped I’d eventually grow out of it...”

She heard Launchpad sigh.

“Yeah, I hoped that too when I was your age.” He sighed again. “Look, Gos, I know... I know it’s hard. I know that it hurts when you feel like you’re being rejected- that it feels like people hate you when they show even the smallest sign that they’re not happy with you.”

“... how do you deal with it?” Gosalyn asked, peeking up over her knees. “With- with how much it hurts?”

Launchpad smiled gently.

“Well, I try to remember that it’s almost never quite as bad as I think it is. When people say I did something wrong, they don’t mean that  _ I’m  _ wrong, or that I’m a bad person because I did that one thing wrong.”

“I-I know that, but it- it still  _ feels _ like that’s what they think.”

“I know. That’s why sometimes, you just have to take a step back, take a minute to think it over and breathe. I know it’s hard- trust me, I’ve made my fair share of mistakes and assumptions about what people think about me.”

“You have?”

“Yeah. Like... well, before I started working for Mr. McDee, I used to be a stunt performer with my family. We used to travel all around the world, performing awesome moves with our biplanes!”

“... so what happened?”

Launchpad winced, then cleared his throat as he rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly.

“Well... the thing about me is, I’m- I’m a lot better at  _ crashing  _ planes than I am at  _ landing  _ them.”

Gosalyn blinked, arching an eyebrow.

“Huh?”

“Don’t get me wrong, I’m the best there is at crashing- no one can crash a plane better or more safely than I can!”

“Uh, safely crashing? Isn’t that just a normal landing?”

“Nope! Two completely different things!”

Gosalyn really didn’t think they were, but the distinction seemed to make the big guy feel better, so she didn’t say anything.

“Anyway, uh... I wasn’t always as okay with my tendency to... well, not land properly as I am now. So when I crashed a plane during one of our shows, I... kinda assumed the worst. I couldn’t face my family after it happened, so... I quit our team and set out on my own.” Launchpad rubbed his arm. “I just couldn’t take the idea of them being mad at me, or worse,  _ disappointed.” _

“And... were they? Did they hate you for screwing up?”

Launchpad chuckled, shaking his head.

“Nah, of course they didn’t. Actually, I ran into them a couple years after I started working for Mr. McDee, and we got everything all sorted out. I felt a little silly about assuming they’d just start hating me suddenly after I screwed up once, but I’m glad I talked with them about it.” He looked at her, smiling gently. “So maybe if you talk it out, you’ll find that it’s never quite as bad as you think it is.”

“But... but what if they really  _ do  _ hate me?”

Launchpad shrugged.

“Then they’re not worth thinking about. You’re a pretty great kid, Gosalyn- the people who matter will love you no matter what.”

Warmth bloomed in Gosalyn’s chest, and despite everything she couldn’t help but smile.

“You really think so?”

“I  _ know  _ so.”

Gosalyn grinned up at him, then got up, walking over the seat and to Launchpad to wrap her arms around his neck.

“Thanks, Launchpad.”

After a moment, Launchpad hugged her back.

“Y-Yeah, uh, no problem, kiddo,” Launchpad said quietly, voice a little tight for some reason.

Just then, Gosalyn heard someone clear their throat; when she looked up, Darkwing was standing awkwardly in the doorway, hat in his hands. She flinched, letting go of Launchpad and looking away as she plopped down on the cushion.

“Er, sorry to interrupt... may I come in?”

“... sure,” she murmured, pulling her jacket tighter around her.

Darkwing cleared his throat again, then silently walked over to them, sitting down in the spot Gosalyn had been curled up in just a minute ago.

“... sorry I yelled at you,” she said quietly after a minute, staring at her feet.

“It’s okay, Gosalyn- well, no, it’s, it’s not  _ okay,  _ you shouldn’t yell at people like that, but I... I understand why you did it.” Darkwing sighed. “Look, Gosalyn, I... when I said that I didn’t want to be assigned to keep an eye on you, I meant that I was expecting a more...  _ adventurous  _ assignment. Something big and dangerous, like- like finding out which of Bulba’s guards were facilitating his messages to the outside, or something like that.”

“You really thought they were gonna give you a big case like that?”

“Well... it does seem a little silly to think that they’d give the rookie such an important mission in hindsight, doesn’t it?”

“Uh, yeah,  _ duh.” _

Darkwing laughed, shaking his head.

“Still, I... I’m sorry that I hurt your feelings when I said I didn’t want this assignment. I didn’t mean to, but it still hurt you, and I’m sorry that I made you feel unwanted.”

Gosalyn sighed, resting her chin on her knees.

“S’okay. Wasn’t the first time that’s happened to me.”

She heard Darkwing inhale sharply; glancing back and forth between him and Launchpad revealed that the two were sharing worried looks. 

“A... About that, Gosalyn, um... do... do your parents know where you are right now?”

Gosalyn snorted, trying to ignore the way her eyes started to sting.

“No, and I don’t know where  _ they  _ are, either.”

“Wha- what does that mean?”

“It means that-!” Gosalyn bit her bill, then sighed. “It means that they didn’t want me either, okay? They dumped me with my grandpa when I was five, and I haven’t seen them since. Didn’t even show up to his funeral.”

Launchpad put a hand on her back, and Darkwing sighed.

“I’m... I’m sorry, Gosalyn.”

“S’not your fault.”

“I know but... well... I kinda know what it’s like to have your parents abandon you.”

Gosalyn blinked, looking up at him in surprise.

“You... you do?”

“Yeah- well, I mean, it only happened recently that they gave up on me, but they... well, I was never really what they wanted.”

Gosalyn furrowed her brow.

“They didn’t want a son that could do the coolest motorcycle stunts ever?”

Darkwing let out a surprised little laugh, shaking his head.

“No, they- they were never really fans of the motorcycle thing, but they also really didn’t want me to  _ be _ a son-!” Darkwing flinched, then cleared his throat. “Er, what I mean is... well, you see, Gosalyn, there are some boys that people think are girls when they’re born-!”

“Dude, I’m ten, I know what the word transgender means.”

Darkwing blinked, then laughed again, seeming relieved.

“Ah, well, I can never keep up with what the kids are learning nowadays.”

Gosalyn snorted, then hesitated.

“So... they wanted you to be a...?”

Darkwing sighed, nodding.

“Yeah... but even if I was, well, you know, they still... I think they still would have preferred one that wasn’t autistic.”

Gosalyn blinked, eyebrows rising, then narrowed her eyes, something hot and indignant landing in her gut.

“Well that’s... that’s just  _ stupid!” _

Launchpad and Darkwing both startled.

“Er, Gosalyn-?”

“If they were only gonna love a ‘normal’ kid,” Gosalyn started, drawing air quotes around the word normal, “then they, they shoulda got a  _ robot  _ or something instead of having real kids! It’s not fair for them to expect you to be all  _ perfect  _ or whatever and then abandon you when you’re not!”

Darkwing laughed, reaching over and ruffling Gosalyn’s hair.

“Yeah, well, I don’t think they saw it that way. But ever since then, I’ve... I’ve realized that it’s not worth trying to impress them, because they’re just never going to be impressed with me.”

“Well then they don’t matter!” Gosalyn said emphatically. “Just like Launchpad said!”

Darkwing smiled up at Launchpad, and if she hadn’t been feeling so ticked off about his mean parents she would have  _ gagged  _ at the sappy look on his face.

“Yeah, just like Launchpad said.”

Launchpad beamed, and Gosalyn elbowed him gently.

“What about you, big guy? Were your parents big jerks too?”

“Oh, no, my parents are awesome!” 

Gosalyn gave him a look, and from the way Launchpad grinned sheepishly she was pretty sure that Darkwing was giving him a similar one.

“Ah-heh... sorry.”

Darkwing snorted, putting a hand on Gosalyn’s shoulder.

“Well, anyway, don’t worry about your old parents, okay? If they couldn’t see how great you are, then they don’t deserve to have a kid as great as you.”

Gos beamed at him, then leaned over and wrapped her arms around his torso.

“Thanks, Darkwing.”

“Oh, uh...” Darkwing hesitated, then silently wrapped his arms around her, hugging her back gently. “Of course, kiddo. And I promise, someday you’ll find someone who makes you feel as wanted as you deserve to be.”

Gosalyn smiled into his chest, glancing over briefly when Launchpad scooted over and put his arm around Darkwing.

It almost felt like... like...

Like they were a real family.

_ What if I’ve already found two someones who make me feel like that? _

She pushed the thought back, of course- there was no point in hoping these two random strangers would actually  _ adopt  _ her, even if they already felt more like her parents than the people who’d brought her into the world ever had.

Still, it was a nice thought, something to look back on and remember fondly when she went back to the orphanage. 

Maybe someday, when she was all grown up, she could come back and see them.

But for now...

Gosalyn sighed as she pulled away from Darkwing, twiddling her thumbs nervously.

“Gos?”

“I... have to go apologize to the other kids, don’t I?”

Darkwing chuckled, nodding.

“Fraid so, kiddo. I know you were hurting, but that doesn’t mean you get to hurt other people and get away with it.”

Gosalyn sighed, getting up from her seat.

“I guess you’re right...” She hesitated, rubbing her arm and looking over her shoulder at Darkwing and Launchpad. “But... could you guys come with me? I’d- I’d feel better knowing you were there...”

Both of them looked surprised, but they both smiled, getting up from their seats and walking over to put their hands on her shoulders.

“Of course, Gosalyn.”

Gosalyn smiled at them both, then took a deep breath.

“Okay. Let’s... let’s go.”

As it turned out, the other kids were waiting at the bottom of the stairs, looking somewhat pensive. Gosalyn swallowed, then cleared her throat.

“Um...”

All four of the other ducklings immediately perked up, and before Gosalyn could say anything else, Webby had rushed up the stairs, all but tackling Gosalyn in a hug.

“Oof! Uh-!”

“I’m so so so sorry, Gosalyn!” She cried; when she pulled back, her eyes were more than a little misty. “Launchpad told us why you got so upset, I’m so sorry!”

“Er...”

“I’m sorry too,” Huey added as he got to the top of the stairs, rubbing his arm sheepishly. “I know getting teased really hurts sometimes- I should know better.”

“Yeah, I should know better too. I’m, uh... I have it too,” Dewey admitted. “The- the ADHD thing, I mean.”

“And since I grew up with these guys, I should know really know when I’m going too far,” Louie finished, sticking his hands in the pockets of his hoodie. “I’m sorry I teased you. And that I called you a sore loser.”

Gosalyn smiled, shaking her head as she gently pushed Webby off of her.

“I forgive you. I shouldn’t have gotten so mad, anyway, I know you didn’t mean it like that.” She stuck out her hand. “Let’s all promise to do better?”

The other kids all grinned, placing their hands on top of hers.

“Deal.” After they all pulled back, Louie cleared his throat. “So, uh, Gosalyn, you, uh, you wouldn’t happen to enjoy playing video games, would you?”

Gosalyn hummed, folding her arms across her chest.

“Depends. What  _ kind  _ of video games?”

“Well, we just got OWWF 2k18 in the mail yesterday-!”

_ “WHAT?!”  _ Gosalyn shouted, beak falling open in shock. She grabbed Louie by his shoulders. “Are- are you  _ serious?!  _ That game’s not supposed to be out for another  _ two weeks, _ how did you guys get an advanced copy?! Are you secretly game reviewers or something?!”

“No, our Uncle Donald knows one of the wrestlers in the game,” Huey explained. 

“Yeah, uh, I think he said it was from El Gallo Loco or something-?” Dewey started.

_ “El Gallo Loco?!”  _ Gosalyn squawked. “Your Uncle Donald knows  _ the  _ El Gallo Loco?!”

“Uh, I’m pretty sure ‘el’ is just Spanish for ‘the’-!”

“Whatever! Does he really know El Gallo Loco, yes or no?!”

“Considering we got a signed copy and a replica of his mask in the mail, and then Uncle Donald rolled his eyes and mumbled fondly about that ‘sentimental old chicken,’ yeah, I’m pretty sure he knows him.” 

“So, uh, I’m guessing you know him?” Webby asked.

_ “Are you kidding?!  _ El Gallo Loco is only the best  _ Luchador enmascarado _ in the  _ entire world!  _ He’s been called the biggest masked wrestler since El Angel!” Gosalyn squealed, bouncing up and down on her toes. “This is  _ awesome!  _ I can’t believe you guys are related to someone who knows El Gallo Loco!  _ I have so many questions!” _

“Well, I’m sure Uncle Donald would be happy to answer while we play a few matches.”

“Keen gear!” Gosalyn shouted as she bolted down the stairs. She paused, turning back around with a grin. “Oh, and dibs on Tigre Guerrero.”

“What?! Oh, come on, no fair!”

“Hey, I left the Mortician on the table, pal!”

* * *

“It sure was nice of Webby to lend you some of her pajamas to wear, huh?” Launchpad commented as he brushed Gosalyn’s wet hair.

“Uh-huh. You’re pretty good at this, ya know. Most people give up on taming this mess after a few minutes.”

“Aw, it’s not so bad! My sister used to have long curly hair when we were younger, and I used to help her with it.” He paused. “Lost a loooooot of brushes that way.”

Gosalyn giggled, then paused.

“Hey, if your sister has curly hair, then why don’t you?”

“Oh, I do! It’s just that it doesn’t really curl very much unless it’s real short. All done!”

Gosalyn paused as she felt her hair, seeming impressed.

“Wow, it hasn’t been this soft in forever!”

“That’s because Launchpad has a very specific set of skills,” Drake started as he spread out the extra blanket he’d gotten the third night he’d stayed here, “and he is very, very good at those things.”

“Like brushing coarse, tangly hair?” Gosalyn asked as Launchpad lifted her up into the air and placed her under the covers.

“Like brushing coarse, tangly hair,” Drake confirmed, making sure Gosalyn’s pillows were properly fluffed (and that pillow he had accidentally ripped his first night here wasn’t leaking any stuffing). “Now, then, little lady, it’s time for young ducks to go to sleep.”

“But where are you guys gonna sleep if I sleep in your bed?”

“Ah, well, I’ve still got a bed in the garage,” Launchpad replied.

“And I won’t be sleeping. Gotta keep an eye out for Bulba and his goons, remember?”

Gosalyn sighed, settling under the blankets.

“Why does he even think I know anything about Grandpa’s invention, anyway?”

“I’m afraid that there are some criminal minds too dark for even me to shed a light on.” Drake paused. “Just... exactly what  _ is  _ this invention of his, anyway?”

Gosalyn took a deep breath.

“It’s a trachio-specific device that disrupts gravitational bonds and allows manipulation on a micro scale.”

Drake blinked, then exchanged a look with an equally confused Launchpad.

“And... what does that do, exactly?” Launchpad asked.

Gosalyn shrugged.

“I’unno. Think it’s supposed to make stuff float. Grandpa didn’t get around to testing it before...” Gosalyn swallowed, then tugged at something on her neck, revealing a small, oval-shaped golden locket. She opened it up. “See? Here’s a picture of it. And that’s Grandpa.”

The picture inside the locket was of an older brown-feathered duck with gray hair in a lab coat sitting at a strange-looking machine. Gosalyn was in his lap, caught mid-laugh by the camera’s shutter.

“It... seems like you two were close...” Drake murmured. 

Gosalyn sighed, turning the locket around to look at the picture.

“Yeah, we were...” She swallowed again, then shook her head as she put the locket away. “But! But I don’t know any codes!”

Drake sighed, reaching up and tucking her in.

“Unfortunately for us, Taurus Bulba is convinced otherwise. His men are probably searching all over for you as we speak.” Drake chuckled. “Although, if they knew how much spirit you have, they’d probably run the other way-!”

Gosalyn gave him a look as Launchpad motioned for him to stop talking, and Drake chuckled sheepishly.

“Ah-heh. Sorry.”

To his surprise, Gosalyn laughed, smiling as she snuggled up against the pillows.

“Thanks, Darkwing.”

Something light and warm bloomed in Drake’s chest, and he swallowed, rubbing the back of his neck as he got off the bed.

“Uh, s-sure, no... no problem, Gosalyn.”

Just as he and Launchpad were about to leave the room, there was a creak from the bed.

“I can’t sleep,” Gosalyn announced.

“You’ve literally only been lying there for two seconds!” Drake argued. Gosalyn crossed her arms and pouted in response, and Drake sighed, shaking his head. 

“Fine, fine. What will help you fall asleep?”

“Well... my grandpa used to sing me a lullaby.”

“Huh, well, how does it go?” Launchpad asked.

“Um...  _ close your eyes, little girl blue, inside of you lies a rainbow. Yellow, blue, red blue, purple too, blue, purple and green, then the yellow.” _

Drake tried not to wince at her less than stellar singing voice, instead clearing his throat as he walked over to her.

“Well, not much on lyrics... let me try.” He cleared his throat again as he knelt by her bedside.  _ “Rest your head, little girl blue, come paint your dreams on your pillow. I’ll be near to chase away fear, so sleep now and dream til tomorrow.” _

Gosalyn sighed as she dozed off, and Drake couldn’t help but smile down at her.

_ “I’ll be near to chase away fear, so sleep now and dream til tomorrow.” _

She let out a soft snore, and Drake sighed contentedly.

“G’night Gosalyn.”

With that, Drake crept out of the room, joining Launchpad outside. His boyfriend was giving him an odd look, and Drake gave him one of his own as he closed the door.

“What?”

“Nothing, just... that was really nice of you, y’know.”

Drake flushed, folding his arms across his chest and looking away.

“I can be nice!”

Launchpad laughed, and once again Drake found it too hard to stay mad at him. He hesitated, then opened the door and peeked back into the room, smiling when he saw Gosalyn still fast asleep inside.

“... she’s... she really is a great kid, isn’t she?” He murmured as he closed it again.

“Yeah, she is.”

“It’s... it’s weird, but I almost  _ don’t  _ want Bulba to get caught, if only so we don’t have to take her back to the orphanage...”

When Launchpad didn’t answer, Drake turned to him, only to find him with another weird look on his face.

“What?”

“Well... I was just thinking, um... what if... what if we  _ didn’t  _ have to take her back?”

“Wh- Launchpad, of course we have to take her back! Darkwing Duck does  _ not  _ kidnap spirited orphans!”

“No, no, no! I don’t mean like that, I meant... well... um, what if... what if you and I...?”

“LP, could you please get to the point-?”

“What if we adopted her?” He blurted out.

Drake blinked. Twice. Three times.

Then his mouth fell open.

“You... you want to... you want to adopt a child with me?”

“Not just  _ a  _ child.  _ This  _ child. Gosalyn.” Launchpad smiled nervously. “I... I really care about her, y’know? We... we’ve really bonded.”

“Launchpad...” Drake swallowed, turning his gaze to the ground. “Look, I... I care about her too. And- and yeah, I  _ do  _ feel bonded to her, but...”

“... But what?”

Drake snorted, shaking his head.

“Come on, big guy, do you  _ really  _ think I’m parenting material?”

“What? What do you mean, you’d be a  _ great  _ dad!”

“Wha- no I-!” Drake groaned, taking off his hat and running a hand through his hair. “Launchpad. I am the  _ least  _ qualified person in the entire world to be a parent, okay?”

“You’re not the  _ least  _ qualified-!”

“I’m a  _ recovering alcoholic, _ Launchpad!” Drake snapped. “I’m- I spent most of my twenties so wasted that I can’t even _ remember _ most of what happened when I was twenty-three, and even if that wasn’t an automatic disqualification, I work for a shadowy organization that has a whole manual on how to lie on your taxes regarding your employment, I don’t have a house of my own, I was  _ very publicly disowned  _ a month ago, and- and-!”

“... and what?” Launchpad prompted in a soft voice.

“... what if I’m bad at it?” Drake whispered. “What if I make everyone on the PTA hate me, or I’m late getting her from soccer practice, or if I screw up her life completely, or...?”

“Drake?”

Drake swallowed hard, looking up at Launchpad through blurred eyes.

“... what if I end up treating her the way my parents treated me?”

Launchpad blinked, his expression immediately turning into one of concern.

“Oh,  _ honey,”  _ he started as he pulled Drake into his arms. “Is  _ that  _ what you’re worried about?”

“I-I mean, I’m worried about- about the other stuff too, but...” He sniffed, pressing his cheek against his boyfriend’s stomach. “I didn’t have good parents, Launchpad. I don’t know  _ how  _ to be a good parent. What if I just end up doing what they did?”

“... lemme ask you something, Drake: did your parents ever once apologize to you?”

Drake blinked, looking up at Launchpad.

“What?”

“Did they ever apologize to you? Like, a  _ real  _ apology, where they admitted to harming you and told you they’d do better, and then they  _ did _ better?”

“Uh... no? Of course not, Launchpad, that’d be tantamount to blasphemy in their eyes. Probably even worse than  _ actual  _ blasphemy, the big hypocrites.”

“Well, then you’re already one step ahead of them there.” Launchpad leaned down, pressing a kiss to Drake’s forehead. “Drake, I’ve seen you with Gosalyn. I know you’d never hurt her, not on purpose. And even if you fell into that pattern accidentally, I’d still be there to steer you back to the right path.”

Drake blinked, warmth blooming in his cheeks.

“You... you would?”

“Of course! I said  _ we  _ should adopt her, didn’t I? I’m in this for the long haul if you are.”

Drake swallowed, eyes stinging slightly with unshed tears, though this time they were there for a different reason.

It... it was all happening so fast. Launchpad wanted to have a  _ kid  _ with him. He wanted to be together  _ for the long haul,  _ and that was just so much like a proposal that it made his heart ache, but-!

But this was  _ crazy,  _ wasn’t it? They’d only known each other for six months, and they’d only been dating for one of those, and they hadn’t even said  _ I love you  _ yet _ ,  _ and sure, it kinda felt like he’d known Launchpad his whole life, couldn’t imagine his life without the big guy in it anymore, but... but...

But, well. He’d already lived so much of his life trying to please someone else. 

Maybe... maybe it was time that he did something  _ he  _ wanted to do.

“Launchpad, I-!” Drake froze when he saw a flash from beneath the door, furrowing his brow. “What in the...? Why is there a flash coming from inside my room?”

“Uh... lightning, maybe? It  _ is  _ raining.”

“Lightning? With no thunder?” Drake tried to open the door again, only to find that it was locked from the inside. “What the-? Gosalyn? Gos, did you lock the door?”

For a second, there was no answer, but just as he was about to call out to her again, a muffled scream came from inside.

“Gosalyn?!” 

“Stand back, DW!” Launchpad stated. Drake barely got out of the way before he slammed into the door, breaking it off its hinges and tumbling to the ground. “Oww...  _ Gosalyn!” _

Drake ran in after him, his heart stopping when he saw Gosalyn in the claws of a very large, very menacing condor that was currently halfway out the window. He could see a blimp just off the borders of McDuck’s property, and there was no doubt in his mind who it belonged to.

“Darkwing! Launchpad!” Gosalyn screamed, reaching for them as tears streamed off her face. 

“I’m coming, Gos!” Both of them yelled, each lunging for her. Launchpad tripped over the blanket that had fallen to the floor, and Drake got within fingertip distance of her before the condor pulled her away, making a sound that was almost like an evil cackle as he flew off towards the blimp.

“Darkwing!” Gosalyn cried, voice getting quieter and quieter the further away she got, and all Drake could do was watch as she disappeared into the blimp.

She... she was gone.

He’d  _ lost  _ her.

“Drake?” Launchpad started, voice gentle and soft. “Drake, hey, we- we’ll figure this out, okay? I promise, we’re gonna get her back-?”

“Oh, you better believe we  _ goddamn  _ will.”

“Wh- Drake?”

Drake grit his teeth, clutching at the window sill as he shook with rage.

“Alright, Bulba, so  _ that’s  _ how you wanna play it? Fine.” He looked up at the retreating blimp, eyes narrowed. “Then  _ let’s. Get. Dangerous.” _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Me: decides to break up fic into three chapters so it doesn't turn into a monster of a fic  
Also me: writes 11k+ chapter  
WHOOPS
> 
> Anyway, lots of stuff happened this chapter! I was actually really excited to write the scenes between Gos and the other kids, especially Webby- I feel like they'd be great friends, and when the time comes for Gosalyn to make her canon appearance I hope that's something we get to see!
> 
> Also, since about one year has passed in the series' canon, and I tend to assume that shows are set in the year they start in, I'm going off the assumption that it's 2018 in-universe and Gosalyn was born in '08, while the triplets were born in '07 and Webby was born in '06 (her birthday's a month from the in-universe date of this fic).
> 
> Also, yes, there are a ton of wrestling references in this one. Look, in my defense Panchito was a wrestler in... well one piece of media that was generally inaccessible to the masses, I like wrestling okay?! 
> 
> Ahem, anyway, for the uninitiated: Ruffin' Reigns is the Duckverse equivalent of Roman Reigns, and yes, he is a dog, Monday Night Roar is... well Monday Night Raw, OWWF or the Original World Wrestling Federation is the WWE, El Gallo Loco is... well, it's just Panchito, I imagine he's signed as a part-timer to the Duckverse equivalent of Lucha Underground but the two promotions are sharing wrestlers, El Angel is the legendary masked wrestler El Santo, Tigre Guerrero is the late Eddie Guerrero, and the Mortician is, well, the Undertaker.
> 
> Look I never said I put a ton of effort into these names.
> 
> Anyway, slightly related to that, I headcanon DT17!Gosalyn as Afro-Latina coded- specifically Mexican, which is part of the reason some of her favorite wrestlers are from Mexico. I will probably be proven wrong by her canon appearances lmao.
> 
> Finally, in regards to Gos' ADHD- I imagine that unlike Launchpad, Gosalyn tends to deal with her RSD by externalizing it- i.e., by lashing out. This has caused her to be labelled a problem child, which, having very briefly been labelled a problem child in kindergarten before deciding to become The Best and Most Well Behaved Child Ever so I'd never be yelled at by a teacher again, I can tell you is not fun when you're a small child with RSD. Add in abandonment issues and the entire upheaval of her life, and well, it is not fun to be Gosalyn right now.
> 
> Which is why she gets two dads who understand, accept, and love her.
> 
> After she gets kidnapped.
> 
> Look I gotta follow the basic plot of "Darkly Dawns the Duck" here, I already mentioned Bulba.
> 
> Thank you so much for reading! If I keep up this pace, I'll probably have the last chapter up by Friday night at the latest. It's a fun one, and not just because the ending is schmoopy as hell (and I love it), but also because we'll be seeing the Dawn of Justice... Ducks.
> 
> I'm saying the Justice Ducks will be involved. Including a certain sailor-hat wearing hero. 
> 
> Comments are always appreciated!


	3. How Wonderful Life is, Now that You're In the World

“Let me go, let me go!” Gosalyn screamed as she kicked and struggled against the grip of the two big guys that the condor had thrown her to. 

“Take it easy, girly! Ain’t nowhere you for to go but down, remember?” The stupid-looking goat gloated, tightening his grip on her arm.

“Ow! You- you guys don’t know who you’re messing with!”

“Oh, yeah, I’m  _ so  _ scared of some ten-year-old girl,” the short ram said with a snort. 

“Not  _ me,  _ ya ding-dong! Darkwing Duck!”

“... who?” Both of them asked just as they entered a small room in the back of the blimp.

“... aw, nuts.”

A deep voice chuckled, and when Gosalyn looked up, she found herself looking at a big, nasty-looking bull in a white coat straight in the eyes.

“I’m afraid your little friend won’t be coming, Miss Waddlemeyer. At least, he won’t if he knows what is good for him.”

“Oh, then he’s  _ definitely  _ coming,” Gosalyn replied. “Guy’s got the common sense of a  _ lemming.  _ And I swear, when he gets his hands on you-!”

“What, he’s going to beat me up? I’ve seen the little ducky around town, little girl. I could snap him in half with one hand.” He smirked. “So why don’t you just give me code, and we can all go home happy, yes?”

“I don’t  _ know  _ any codes, ya big palooka!”

Bulba rolled his eyes.

“Fine, so you want to do this hard way? We do this hard way.” He snapped his fingers. “Put her in, eh...  _ time out,  _ yes? Maybe when you come out, you will be more...  _ cooperative.” _

Gosalyn screamed as the two henchmen carried her off, kicking as they threw her in a dark, tiny room.

“Stay here and think it over, kid. This don’t have to end badly for you, yeah?”

Gosalyn made a rude gesture at them as they closed the door. She whimpered, curling up and tucking her face into her knees.

“Come and find me soon, guys. I believe in you.”

* * *

“What do you  _ mean,  _ kidnapped?!”

“I mean that Taurus Bulba’s pet condor came up to the mansion, got the window open, snatched Gosalyn, and flew off with her!” Drake snapped. “Ergo,  _ she was kidnapped!” _

“How did this even  _ happen?  _ McDuck Manor has some of the best defenses on the  _ planet!  _ Only reason they didn’t work with the moon mess was because...” McDuck paused, then narrowed his eyes. “Because Gyro hadn’t gotten around to fixing them after Glomgold’s attack. Oh, that little- I swear, if he’s been puttin’ off fixin’ my security to mess around with the lunar tech Penumbra brought along, I’ll-!”

“You can kill Gearloose  _ later,  _ Mr. McDuck! Right now, it doesn’t matter  _ how  _ this happened, what matters is getting Gosalyn back!” Drake started walking towards the front door. “Which means that Launchpad and I are going to have to take your plane and  _ waaugh!” _

“Now, now, slow down a bit, Mr. Mallard,” McDuck started as he held Drake back by the end of his cape. “Ya can’t seriously think I’ll be allowin’ the two of you to go take on  _ Taurus Bulba  _ all by yourselves, now, can ya?”

“... You aren’t?”

“Laddie, no offense, but you’re still green as grass, and if I know Bulba- and I’ve had the displeasure, sadly- I know the brute will eat you both alive.” McDuck released his grip on Drake’s cape, pulling a button out of his pocket. “Which is why it’s lucky that I’ve got someone who can help on call.”

Drake blinked as McDuck pressed the button, only realizing what he meant when it was too late.

“Oh, no.”

“Oh, yes.”

“Mr. McDuck,  _ please,  _ you- you can’t be  _ serious!” _

“Oh, but I am. I’m not letting you put yourself, Launchpad, and that little girl in more danger than you’re already gonna be. Not if I can help it.”

“But- but! But why  _ him?  _ Seriously, I’ll take  _ anybody  _ else! I’ll take Webby!”

“You will  _ not!” _ Mrs. Beakley objected, giving him a stern look.

“Okay, yeah, bad idea taking the minor, but still! Literally anyone else but-!”

The doors to the manor burst open.

“Have no fear, good citizens of Duckburg! Your friendly neighborhood Gizmoduck has arrived!”

“... him.” Drake groaned, running his hand over his face, then shook his head before turning around. “Okay, tin can, listen up, I don’t like you, and you don’t like me-!”

“I like you!”

“Don’t- wait, really?”

“Sure, you seem nice enough!” Gizmoduck frowned. “You really don’t like me?”

“Er, well, I  _ didn’t,  _ but now I’m thinking I should probably reconsider my stance on that-!” Drake shook his head. “Nope, no time! Look, what I’m trying to say is that this- this isn’t about me, and it isn’t about you. It’s about saving Gosalyn.”

“Right!” Gizmoduck paused. “Uh, who’s Gosalyn?”

“I’ll tell you on the way over. Come on, Launchpad, let’s get-!”

“Now hold on, you three!”

Drake grit his teeth, glaring up at the top of the stairs. 

“Della, I appreciate the concern, but we  _ really  _ don’t have-!”

“Look, I realize that this is gonna be ironic coming from  _ me  _ of all people, but do you guys even have a plan?”

Drake paused, exchanging looks with Gizmoduck and Launchpad before shrugging sheepishly.

“Er... well, I was thinking we’d figure that out on the way over...”

Della crossed her arms.

“Right, right, great idea going to face off with a  _ mob boss  _ with barely any kind of plan. DW, like Uncle Scrooge said, you’re green as grass, and well, just how many big name villains have  _ you  _ faced off with, Gizmo?”

“Oh, well, there was Mark Beaks, and...” Gizmoduck trailed off, chuckling sheepishly. “Well, okay, so it’s mostly just been Beaks so far.”

“Uh-huh. I hate to say it, guys, but you’re pretty out of your depth here. What you need to win is someone with a little more,” she turned her gaze to her brother,  _ “experience.” _

Donald blinked, then quacked in shocked anger.

“Ohhh  _ no, no way, sister!  _ Not happening!”

_ “Donald.” _

“Nope! No chance,  _ he  _ is  _ retired!” _

“Well  _ he  _ better get his tail feathers  _ out  _ of retirement, cause there’s like an eighty percent chance they’re gonna die if he doesn’t help!”

“Hey, I think our odds are a  _ little  _ better than-!”

_ “Stay out of this!”  _ Donald and Della yelled.

Drake winced, taking a step back.

“It’s not gonna  _ happen, Dumbella!  _ I- I mean,  _ he  _ is  _ done  _ with that life!”

Della grit her teeth, then suddenly relaxed, shrugging.

“Fine, have it your way. But I hope you’re prepared to explain to the kids what happened to Launchpad, Darkwing, Gosalyn, and Gizmoduck.”

Donald recoiled, stammering for a moment before letting out a groan and throwing his hands in the air.

“Fine.  _ Fine!  _ Geez, the things I do for those kids, one of these days it’s gonna get me killed...”

Donald was still grumbling as he stormed off, and Della smiled at them.

“Okay, your back-up’s all set up! Good luck, guys!”

“... er, did you understand any of that?”

Both Launchpad and Gizmoduck shrugged, and Drake sighed before clearing his throat.

“So, uh, should we just wait here, or...?”

“Oh, no, don’t worry!” Della glanced in the direction her brother had stormed off in.  _ “He’ll  _ have his own way up.”

“... I feel like I should ask some follow-up questions, but we  _ really  _ don’t have time.” Drake turned to Launchpad. “You ready to fly, big guy?”

Launchpad nodded, grinning as he put his hands on his hips.

“Sure am! In fact, I think I’ve got something that’s just  _ perfect  _ for the occasion. See, I’ve been working on a new vehicle. It’s nothing big, just a little something called the-!”

“The Thunderquack.”

“The Thunder- aw, how’d you guess?”

“I didn’t. Dewey told me.”

Launchpad blinked, then sighed.

“I really gotta stop telling him about my secret surprises for you.”

Drake chuckled, reaching over and squeezing Launchpad’s hand.

“I’m still very proud of you, dear.”

_ I love you,  _ he still didn’t say but meant with all his heart.

Launchpad beamed. Behind them, Gizmoduck cleared his throat.

“Uh, sorry to interrupt, but... what’s a Thunderquack?”

Drake blinked, and then both he and Launchpad turned to him with matching shocked expressions.

_ “You’ve never heard of-?!” _

“Nope!” Drake said quickly, stopping both himself and Launchpad. “Nope, no time for that!”

“Right, right, gotta get Gosalyn.” Launchpad paused. “Later, though?”

“Oh, definitely.”

“Great! You ready for this?”

Drake smirked up at him.

_ “Let’s. Get. Dangerous.” _

* * *

Gosalyn grunted as the big silent donkey guy pushed her along, the ropes they’d tied around her wrists chafing like nobody’s business.

“Ah, Miss Waddlemeyer, good, you’re just in time. I think that Canard Tower would be perfect place to set up Ramrod, yes?”

She glared up at Bulba.

“It doesn’t matter  _ where  _ you set it up, it’s not gonna work unless you have the code, and I  _ don’t  _ have it!”

Bulba glared at her, then cleared his throat.

“Yes, well, perhaps seeing machine again will jog your-!”

Suddenly, an alarm started blaring, panels near the front of the ship flashing red in time with the beat.

“What is happening?!”

“We’re- we’re on a collision course with a bogey, sir!” The blonde heifer at the steering wheel informed him.

_ “What?!  _ What fool would dare-?! Augh, all batteries open fire!”

Gosalyn winced as the sound of cannon fire echoed in the ship, cracking an eye open to see a weird-looking airplane dodging them with ease. 

A huge grin spread over her bill.

“I  _ knew  _ they’d come for me-!  _ Aah!” _

“Da? Well, you should hope they choose  _ you  _ over Ramrod, hm?”

Gosalyn tried to scream, but Bulba quickly covered her face with his hand, only uncovering it when they arrived in the ship’s hold.

“Alright, you creeps,  _ where’s Gosalyn?!”  _ Darkwing demanded as he pointed his gun right in the face of two of Bulba’s henchmen.

“Why don’t you look up and see for yourself, little man?” Bulba taunted as he held Gosalyn over the railing.

_ “Gosalyn!” _

“Darkwing! And... uh... some guy in a Roboduck cosplay?”

_ “Ha!”  _ Darkwing yelled triumphantly, pointing at not-Roboduck.  _ “Vindication!” _

“Hey!” 

“Oh, uh, sorry, heh, force of habit.” Darkwing cleared his throat. “Gosalyn, Gizmoduck. Gizmoduck, Gosalyn.”

“Hi, Gosalyn,” Gizmoduck greeted politely, waving.

“Hey.”

“Ahem. If we are all done with small talk?” Bulba asked.

“Huh? Oh, uh, yeah, we’re good.” Darkwing cleared his throat again, getting into a wide stance. “Alright, Bulba, you’ve got to the count of three to put the girl down, or else-!”

The ship shook again, nearly knocking Darkwing off his balance.

“Ah, it seems we have arrived at destination. Perfect timing.”

Before Gizmoduck or Darkwing could do anything, Bulba’s goons were on them with guns drawn. Of course, given that Gizmoduck was in a fancy robot suit, this was kind of less effective than it might otherwise be; a bunch of gadgets popped out of the suit, knocking them out, and he quickly grabbed Darkwing and tucked him under his arm as he grabbed Gosalyn with some kind of extend-o-arm thing.

“Gosalyn!” Darkwing cried in relief. “Are you okay? No scrapes, no bruises, no broken bones?”

“No scrapes, no bruises, no broken bones!” Gosalyn confirmed before holding out her hands. “This kinda chafes though.”

“Oh, allow me!” A pair of scissors came out of the suit, quickly cutting through the ropes. “There ya go.”

“Wow, thanks, Gizmoduck! Geez, that suit of yours sure is something.”

“Ah-hah, well, I can’t really take all the credit for that-  _ ack!”  _ Gizmoduck squawked as he ducked, barely avoiding the hail of bullets from Bulba’s machine gun as he took off.  _ “¡Mierda, eso estuvo cerca!” _

_ “¡Oye!” _ Gosalyn shouted.  _ “¡Escuché eso!” _

“Huh? Er, wait, do...  _ ¿Hablas español?” _

Gosalyn did a wiggly hand gesture as they reached the edge of the room.

_ “Eh, más o menos-! _ Whoa, what are you  _ doing?!” _

“Getting us out of here! Hold on tight, guys!”

Gosalyn and Darkwing both screamed as Gizmoduck jumped out of the ship, though thankfully they landed quite safely on top of Canard Tower. Still, Gosalyn couldn’t help but dry-heave a couple times after Gizmoduck set her down, shuddering as she regained her balance.

“Ugh, remind me never to do that again... Gos! Gosalyn, I’m so glad  _ oof!” _

Gosalyn ran over to Darkwing, nearly bowling him over as she wrapped her arms around his torso.

“I  _ knew  _ you’d come for me,” she whispered. She felt Darkwing inhale, then heard him chuckle as he put his arms around her.

“Oh, of course I did, Gosalyn. I don’t know what I’d do if something bad happened to you.”

She beamed up at him, tears pricking at her eyes.

“You mean it?”

He smiled down at her, putting a hand on the top of her head.

“Yeah, I really-!”

Just then, there was a loud  _ caw  _ just behind them, and she heard Darkwing yelp before she found herself torn from his arms, flailing as Bulba’s condor lifted her higher and higher into the air.

_ “Gosalyn!” _

“Ah, so it seems you two are close, yes?” Bulba asked, smirking smugly. “Well, while little girl may be too stubborn to give up code, perhaps  _ you  _ are more reasonable, Darkwing.”

“Wh- why, why would  _ I  _ know the code?!”

“Perhaps little girl entrusted you with it.” Bulba gestured towards the condor, and it went even higher, shaking her slightly. “I’ve always had knack for gambling, Darkwing- what about you?”

“I... I...”

“The  _ code,  _ Darkwing. Or else she will make quite ugly  _ stain _ on street, yes?”

“But I don’t... wait...” Darkwing murmured under his breath, startling when he seemed to realize something. “The song!”

“What song? What is this nonsense you speak?”

“The lullaby, it’s- it’s the code!”

“Wh-? My grandpa’s lullaby?” Gosalyn looked up. “Grandpa, I know you’re dead, but  _ what the heck?” _

Bulba chuckled, gesturing for the condor to take her yet higher.

“Well?” He pointed at the console for the Ramrod. “Sing then, sweet nightingale!”

Darkwing ran up the stairs without hesitation.

“Yellow, blue, red, blue, purple twice, blue, purple, green, then yellow again!”

The machine started to buzz, the smell of electricity crackling in the air.

“There! I gave you what you wanted, now  _ let her go!” _

Bulba chuckled, then looked up at the condor with a smirk.

“Well? You heard the man.” He held up his hand.  _ “Let her go.” _

Gosalyn’s eyes widened as he snapped his fingers, and she screamed when the condor released her from its grip.

_ “Gosalyn!” _

_ “Darkwing!” _

Gosalyn curled up in a ball as she fell down, down, down, bracing herself for impact-!

_ “Gotcha!” _

Wow, the sidewalk was surprisingly a lot warmer and softer than she’d thought, and also... had a heartbeat? And sounded just like-!

_ “Launchpad!”  _ She cried, vision slightly blurry when she looked up at him. He grinned at her, though his smile didn’t quite reach his eyes.

“Geez, good thing I upped the speed capability on this bad boy, huh?”

Gosalyn sniffed, then buried her face in his chest, letting out a small sob.

“Gos?”

“Th... That was really,  _ really _ scary...”

She felt Launchpad take a breath, then heard him sigh, his arms wrapping around her and holding her close.

“It’s- it’s okay, sweetheart, I’m here, I’m here. I gotcha, Gosalyn.”

Gosalyn hiccuped, and he hushed her, rubbing her back gently.

“I gotcha. I’m here.”

Just then, the radio crackled.

_ “Launchpad!” _

“Ah, I’m-! I’m here, DW! I got her, I got Gosalyn!”

“Darkwing!” She cried, turning around towards the radio.

_ “Oh, Gosalyn, thank goodness-! Ack!” _

She could hear bullets whizzing on the other end.

“Darkwing?!”

_ “I-I’m okay! LP, I need you to do me a favor!” _

“Of course! I’ll turn us around and get back there in-!”

_ “No! I need you to take Gosalyn and get as far away from here as you can!” _

“What?!” Both Gosalyn and Launchpad shouted.

“But- But Darkwing-!” Gosalyn started.

_ “You just almost fell to your  _ death,  _ Gosalyn, it’s- it’s not safe here! I couldn’t live with myself if you got hurt!” _

“But- but what about you?”

_ “I’ll be fine! Darkwing Duck always gets back up, remember?” _

“DW...” Launchpad swallowed, something like desperation in his eyes. “What- what if I hovered at a distance and-?”

_ “There’s no time, and they’d pull you out of orbit now that the Ramrod’s live! Bulba already tore a building right out of the ground, who knows what he’d do with a small aircraft?!” _

“But- but-!”

_ “No buts! Launchpad,  _ please.  _ I... I need you to do this for me.” _

Launchpad swallowed again, then hardened his gaze and grabbed the steering wheel.

“You got it, partner. Thunderquack, over and out.”

“What?! Wait, nononono-!”

Gosalyn cried out as the engines roared to life, watching as the tower got farther and farther away. 

_ “Darkwing!” _

* * *

Drake watched as the Thunderquack faded into the night sky, swallowing hard.

“At... at least they’re safe,” he assured himself under his breath before shaking his head and looking over at Gizmoduck. “Okay, any ideas on how to shut this thing down?”

“Well, we could try inputting so many commands at once that the whole machine overloads!”

“Great! Er... how do we do that?”

Gizmoduck shrugged.

“Press all the buttons?”

“Well, it’s better than any plan I’ve got right now.” Drake paused, giving him a look. “And you’re sure that would work?”

“I happen to build stuff like this for a living, I think I know my machines!”

“Wait, really? You’re a scientist?”

“Uh,  _ yeah!  _ What, did you think I was just some schmucky accountant that found this suit by accident  _ eep!” _

Gizmoduck ducked just as a bullet whizzed over his head, peeking up over the overturned crate they’d been hiding behind.

“Okay, well, we have a plan, but... how are we supposed to get over there?”

“I... was kinda hoping you’d have an idea-!”

Just then, a flash of blue, red, and black sped past them, all of the weapons held by Bulba’s goons going tumbling over the side of the building. 

“What in the-?!” One of the henchmen started before he was suddenly pulled into a random whirlwind, one that caught the other two by surprise and only dissipated when all three were tied up and groaning.

“Sorry I’m late, gentlemen!” An unfamiliar voice called out. Darkwing and Gizmoduck both looked up, eyes going wide at the figure floating above them, silhouetted by the moon. “Somebody call for some  _ backup?” _

“No way...”

“It... it can’t be...”

_ “The Duck Avenger?!”  _ Bulba shouted, looking absolutely furious. “You’re  _ supposed  _ to be  _ dead!” _

The Avenger chuckled, shaking his head.

“I’m afraid that rumors of my death have been  _ greatly  _ exaggerated. Now then, Mr. Bulba...” Avenger turned, gesturing at Bulba’s airship. “I believe you’ve got something in there that doesn’t belong to you.”

“Wh-  _ no!  _ You leave that money alone, I stole it fair and square!”

“Not even gonna  _ begin  _ to point out what’s wrong with that,” Avenger started as he dove down, flying just over Gizmoduck and Drake and winking at them before zooming towards the airship. 

“... so is the Duck Avenger our backup?” Drake asked.

“Er, I think so... but why would Ms. Duck have told her brother to go get him?”

“Hmmm...” After a moment, Drake shrugged. “Eh, I’unno, Della’s kinda weird sometimes. Anyway! You keep Bulba busy, I’ll go overload the machine!”

“You sure you can-?”

“It’s pressing a bunch of buttons, isn’t it? I don’t think you need a fancy  _ STEM degree  _ to do that!”

Gizmoduck paused, then shrugged. 

“Fair point. Good luck, DW!” With that, he got up, speeding towards Bulba and hitting him in the face with what Drake was pretty sure was a lemon cream pie of some sort.

“... Nope, no time to question that!” Drake said before getting up, dodging the various odd objects Gizmoduck tossed into the air as he dashed across the roof and up the stairs. Without preamble, he started pressing buttons at random, only stopping when the keys literally popped out of the console. “Uh... ooh, boy, that doesn’t sound good...”

“What have you done?!” Bulba shouted just as his airship crashed into the harbor. He dropped Gizmoduck off the side of the building, and Drake would have been more worried if he didn’t see the guy fly back up with his propeller things a second later.

“Well, I’m pretty sure I just broke the thing  _ ack!” _

Bulba’s nostrils flared as he held Drake up by the front of his costume, the look in his eyes making Drake wish his cape was red instead of purple and he had a sword instead of a gas gun.

“You...  _ you...!!!” _

“Yeah, yeah,  _ me!  _ I’ve foiled your plans, now let’s get off this tower before-!”

_ “No.” _

Drake blinked, eyes going wide.

“N... No?”

“I made the mistake of underestimating you  _ once,  _ Darkwing. I won’t do it again.” He narrowed his eyes. “If I am to go down,  _ you will go down with me.” _

Drake gulped, then waved both the Avenger and Gizmoduck off when they started coming closer.

“No! There’s- there’s no time, get out of here!”

“Darkwing-!”

_ “Go!” _

The machine started to whistle with pressure, and Drake flinched, bracing himself.

_ I’m sorry, Gosalyn. I’m sorry, Launchpad. I hope... I hope you’ll at least have each other when this is all over. _

In the seconds between the explosion and his vision going black, Drake could have sworn he felt someone grab him and speed away.

* * *

Waking up was definitely an unexpected, but certainly  _ welcome,  _ surprise.

Even if he kinda felt like he’d been hit by a truck three times in a row.

“Urgh... huh?” 

Drake blinked as his vision cleared, realizing that one, he was in a hospital room, two, that he was in traction, and three, Launchpad seemed to have fallen asleep sitting up on the tiny couch in the corner of the room.

The last one made him smile, laughing when his boyfriend let out a near-deafening snore, only to wince and cry out in pain- his ribs, if he had to guess. Launchpad let out a snort, jolting awake and looking around.

“Huh? What the...?” Launchpad froze when his eyes meet Drake’s, beak falling open. “D... Drake...?”

Drake smiled as best he could.

“Hey there, big guy.”  _ I love you,  _ he didn’t say even though he probably could have claimed it was the painkillers making him loopy. “So... did we win?”

Instead of answering, Launchpad’s eyes filled with tears, and before Drake could even properly process  _ that,  _ his boyfriend had run over to him and grabbed his face, kissing him so thoroughly and deeply that it almost seemed like he thought he’d  _ die  _ if he didn’t kiss him.

“L... Launchpad-!” Drake started when his boyfriend finally pulled away.

“I love you,” Launchpad whispered, voice so shaky and soft that Drake almost thought he’d misheard him. “I love you, Drake, I-I love you so much, and yeah, I know it’s, it’s kinda soon to say it, but I really,  _ really  _ love you, and- and it kinda feels like I’ve known you all my life- like I’ve, I’ve been  _ waiting  _ for you my entire life, and-!”

“Launchpad,” Drake interrupted gently, because as much as he loved hearing Launchpad say he loved him, if he heard anymore he’d  _ definitely  _ start bawling too, “Launchpad, I love you too.”

Launchpad blinked, teary eyes widening in shock, as if he couldn’t believe what he was hearing.

“You... you do? Really? You don’t... I’m, I’m not going too fast for you?”

The pain in his voice was enough that, if he weren’t in traction, Drake would have stormed out of that hospital room and personally hunted down whoever it was that made Launchpad feel like he had to hold back with the people he loved.

“You could never go too fast for me, big guy,” Drake whispered instead. “I-I think, I think I’ve been at least a little in love with you since- since you fainted on me at the signing.”

Launchpad laughed, clearly relieved as he pressed his forehead to Drake’s. 

“I think I’ve been a little in love with you since- since the bobblehead.”

Drake laughed, then put his good hand on Launchpad’s chin, tilting it up for another, gentler kiss.

Then he remembered.

_ “Gosalyn!”  _ He shouted as he broke the kiss. “G-Gosalyn, where’s-?”

“Easy, babe, easy!” Launchpad started, putting a hand on Drake’s shoulder. “Gos is  _ fine.  _ I took her back to the orphanage in St. Canard.”

“What?! Launchpad, why would you do that?!”

“I couldn’t keep her here! You’ve kinda been unconscious for three days, Drake, and with Bulba assumed KIA, well... I didn’t really have a good reason as to why she should stay.”

Drake deflated, gaze turning to his stomach.

“Oh... I guess that makes sense...”

He heard Launchpad sigh, then clear his throat.

“You know, you, uh... you never gave me a straight answer.”

Drake blinked, arching an eyebrow as he looked up at his boyfriend.

“About what?”

“Adopting Gosalyn.” Launchpad smiled gently. “I get your reservations, I really do, but... well, Gosalyn’s a special kid. Who better than two people who get what she’s going through to be her parents? Who better than you and me?”

Drake inhaled, then sighed, looking away.

“I... look, LP, I... I  _ do  _ want to adopt her with you. I want to keep her in my life, I want to see her grow up and- and be a happy, healthy adult someday. I want you and me to be the ones to help her get there.”

“... but?”

“Well, even if- even if somehow I  _ don’t  _ end up being a totally inept parent, I still don’t have a  _ house.  _ Even with S.H.U.S.H’s monthly stipend, and even though Mr. McDuck doesn’t make me pay for room and board, it’d still take me forever to save up enough to-!”

“Oh, uh, actually, the- the doctor told me to tell you something about that.”

“Huh? The doctor?”

“Yeah, uh, Dr. Sara Bellum? She’s S.H.U.S.H’s head of medical and research- you’re at S.H.U.S.H HQ, by the way, the Duck Avenger said it would be a bad idea to take you to a regular hospital.”

“Huh, I guess that makes sense... by the way, you wouldn’t have happened to ask him how he knows Della and Donald, would you?”

Launchpad blinked.

“Uh... what?”

“Well, he said that he was Gizmoduck and I’s backup, but Della told Donald to go call for backup, so they have to know him, right?”

“... babe, you know that Mr. Dee  _ is  _ the Duck Avenger, right?”

Drake blinked, his eyes going wide and his beak falling open in shock.

_ “WHAT?!” _

“Honey, he wears the exact same hat! Plus, the only thing that disguises his face is that tiny domino mask- without it, he looks exactly the same!”

“But but but-! But, but what about his voice?”

“What, the modulator? That’s the same one Dr. Gearloose gave him when Magica’s shadow people invaded Duckburg!”

“... what?”

“Oh, right, we didn’t know each other then. Er, nevermind. Anyway, uh, getting back to Dr. Bellum- she said that I should tell you to check your bank account, cause S.H.U.S.H gives like,  _ really  _ big bonuses for taking down big bad guys like Bulba.”

Drake blinked, then took his phone when Launchpad handed it to him, navigating over to his bank’s app and somehow managing to type in the password with just his thumb.

“Bonus, huh? I guess it’ll be decent, considering the amount I get from the stipend  _ what the HELL?!” _

Launchpad whistled appreciatively when he saw Drake’s new account balance.

“Wow, that is a  _ lot  _ of zeroes.”

“I’ll say! You know what I could do with this kind of money?! I could probably buy the  _ original  _ Thunderquack, or- or go travel around Europe for a year, or-!” Drake paused, biting his bill and glancing up at Launchpad nervously. “Or... pay the down payment on a nice two-bedroom house in the suburbs?”

Launchpad grinned at him.

“Yeah, I think you could  _ definitely  _ do that.”

Drake swallowed, turning off his phone and putting it on the end table next to the bed. 

“Are... are you sure you want to do this?”

“Like I said, babe- I’m in this for the long haul if you are.”

Drake couldn’t help but grin up at him.

“Then... then let’s do this. Let’s have a kid, you and me.”

Launchpad beamed at him, then leaned in for a quick, sweet little kiss.

“... uh, just to be sure, you meant-?”

“Yes, LP, I meant Gosalyn.”

“Okay, good, cause I was  _ pretty  _ sure you didn’t mean you wanted to have one the, uh, the old-fashioned way-!”

“Nope, no, I’m afraid that ship has _very much_ _sailed.”_

Launchpad laughed, shaking his head.

“I didn’t wanna have to change diapers anyway.”

Drake laughed, pulling him in to press their foreheads together.

Then his boyfriend yawned right in his face.

“Augh! Come on, Launchpad, you-!” Drake blinked, noticing for the first time just how big and dark the circles under Launchpad’s eyes were. “Uh... LP? When was the last time you slept, big guy?”

Launchpad flinched, looking away guiltily.

“Uh, heh, well, I was sleepin’ right before you woke up...”

“Uh-huh. And how long, exactly, did you sleep for?”

“Umm... ten minutes, maybe?”

“Alright. And when was the last time you slept before  _ that?” _

Launchpad flinched again.

“... the night before we met Gosalyn.”

“Wh-  _ Launchpad-!” _

“I couldn’t,” Launchpad started, still not meeting Drake’s eyes, “I couldn’t sleep. Was... was scared if I wasn’t watching you, you’d...”

Drake blinked, then softened, pulling Launchpad’s head closer and pressing a kiss into his hair.

“Alright, big guy, c’mere.”

Launchpad gave him a confused look as Drake patted the side of the bed.

“You... you sure? I’m not- I’m not exactly the tiniest guy in the world, babe.”

“Oh, I’m well aware.” Drake smiled at him. “This bed’s more than big enough for the both of us if we cuddle up.”

Launchpad blinked, then smiled, kissing Drake gently before getting up, walking to other side of the bed, and climbing in. It was a bit of a tight fit, but they managed to get comfortable together, Drake snuggled up to Launchpad’s chest.

“Love you, Drake,” Launchpad said again before pressing a kiss to the top of his head.

“Love you too, Launchpad,” Drake replied. He sighed, closing his eyes as the sound of his boyfriend’s heartbeat lulled him to sleep.

“... hey, uh, Drake?”

“Mm? Yes, dear?”

“Well, uh, I was just thinking... if we’re gonna adopt a kid together...”

“Yeah?”

“Well... you should probably meet my parents first, right?”

Drake’s eyes flew open.

“... aw,  _ crud.” _

* * *

“I said  _ no.” _

Gosalyn heard Mrs. Cavanaugh sigh from the doorway.

“Gosalyn, come on. I know you’ve been through a lot recently, but can’t you show just a little bit of that spirit of yours to a potential pair of parents?”

Gosalyn scoffed, curling up on top of her bed.

“I think I never want to hear the word  _ spirit  _ ever again.”

She heard Mrs. Cavanaugh sigh again.

“Well, alright...”

Gosalyn swallowed as she heard Mrs. Cavanaugh’s heels clack against the old wood panels of the orphanage, eyes burning with a new wave of tears.

Who cared if a pair of dumb old church people wanted to add her to their brood as a sign of just how “good” they were? She’d take no home over a home like that.

She’d take no home over any home that wasn’t with the two people she’d actually  _ wanted  _ to adopt her.

She shouldn’t have gotten her hopes up. Now Darkwing was gone, and Launchpad... well, she wouldn’t blame Launchpad if he never wanted to see her again.

She’d just have to stay here. She’d stay here til she grew up, and then she’d leave and- and become a pro wrestler or a hockey player and adopt all the kids in every orphanage ever so that they’d never feel like she felt right now-!

“I’m sorry, Mr. Mallard and Mr. McQuack, but I’m afraid Gosalyn doesn’t quite feel up to seeing anyone today.”

“Oh, well, I’m sorry to hear that...”

Gosalyn froze, eyes going wide at the sound of a voice she thought she’d never hear again.

It... it couldn’t be, right?

It couldn’t be...

Gosalyn swallowed, wiping at her eyes and jumping out of bed before dashing down the hall. She froze in the doorway, her view of whoever was in the front room obscured by Mrs. Cavanaugh’s back.

“If I may say so, Mr. Mallard, you don’t look like you’re at a hundred percent either.”

“Oh, uh, this? Just- just a little motorcycle accident, that’s all.”

“Motorcycle accident?”

“Well, I was in the sidecar, and I... may have forgotten to buckle up properly, heh.” 

Gosalyn gasped, eyes blurring a bit as she peered out from around Mrs. Cavanaugh, and it was  _ him,  _ it  _ had  _ to be him, yeah he wasn’t wearing the mask but he looked just like him otherwise and he was even wearing that stupid, dorky sweater-vest from before-!

“It’s- it’s a good thing I was wearing my helmet-! Oh!” Darkwing smiled down at her, leaning on his crutch a bit. “Well, hello there! You must be Gosalyn, right?”

“Oh!” Mrs. Cavanaugh stepped aside, revealing Launchpad standing right behind Darkwing. “Well, I’m glad you decided to join us. Gosalyn, this is Drake Mallard and his partner Launchpad McQuack. They’ve expressed an interest in adopting you, isn’t that nice?”

Gosalyn inhaled sharply, eyes filling with tears just as she bolted over to Darkwing- to  _ Drake,  _ all but jumping on him and clinging on as tight as she could.

“Whoa!” Drake yelled, clearly caught off balance. Luckily, Launchpad dove into action, catching them before they could go tumbling to the floor.

“I gotcha, Drake! Geez, uh, someone’s excited, huh?”

“I should say so! I’ve never seen her react to a potential adopter this way!”

Drake chuckled, placing a hand on the back of her head.

“Well, I’d say that’s a good sign, huh?” He leaned in a little. “Sorry it took us a little while to get here, kiddo. Had some things to take care of first.”

“I forgive you,” Gosalyn whispered into his sweater-vest. She looked up at them, feeling a little shy. “You... you really want to adopt me? For real?”

“You kidding? We’d be crazy to pass up on a kid like you!” Launchpad told her, ruffling her hair. 

“But that’s- that’s only if  _ you  _ want us to. We won’t force you, Gosalyn. It’s your choice.”

“My choice?”

“Yes. So... whaddaya say, kiddo? You willing to put up with a couple of dorks like us for parents?”

_ “Yes!” _ She shouted, eyes filling with tears of joy. “Yes, yes,  _ of course  _ I am! There’s nobody else in the whole wide world I’d rather have as my parents!”

She hugged Drake again, and he let out a relieved sigh, hugging her back. Then Launchpad wrapped his arms around the both of them, and for the first time in a very,  _ very  _ long time, Gosalyn knew for sure, deep down in her gut, that she was completely and utterly wanted.

That she had been  _ found. _

“Well!” Mrs. Cavanaugh said after a moment, clapping her hands together. “It seems that you’ve all made up your minds here! If you’ll come with me, we can file the paperwork to start the adoption process.”

“Oh, uh, sure thing... er, Gos? I’m gonna have to put you down. Can’t really walk and carry you at the same time right now.”

“Hmm...” Gosalyn turned to Launchpad, holding out her arms. “You do it, then.”

Launchpad laughed, taking her from Drake and putting her on his shoulders. 

“You know, I could carry you too, babe.”

“Eh... maybe later.”

Gosalyn laughed as they started walking, folding her arms on top of Launchpad’s head.

“Soooo... Drake Mallard, huh?”

“Yup. Why, you heard of me?”

“Nope!” She announced cheerfully, which made Drake laugh.

“Hey, that’s my joke!” Launchpad protested, clearly not serious.

Gosalyn laughed again, shaking her head.

She’d been through a lot in her short life- a lot more than some people go through in their whole lives. Enough to make her think that maybe life just  _ wasn’t  _ fair, that you could only rely on yourself and things like love and trust were for suckers.

But today, right here, right now?

Well, she was okay if she was really just the biggest sucker of all.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And they all lived happily ever after.
> 
> ... Eventually, I ain't done with 'em yet.
> 
> Anyway, with that, this part of the story is all done! I still have some stories left to tell with these guys, but I'll be taking a week off from posting them (though probably not writing them- the hyperfocus monster is still hanging off my back lmao).
> 
> Thank you all so much for your support! I'm so glad that you all like my headcanons and stories for these guys. I hope you'll continue to enjoy the next round of stories I have coming up!
> 
> Comments are always appreciated!


End file.
